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Answer Me 1988: Episode 18

Our gang is all grown up in some ways… and still exactly the same in other ways. But now that they’re a little bit older and maybe just a tiny bit wiser about life, they know what it means to have regrets and start to do things differently this time around. To what effect remains to be seen, but hey, I consider it momentous enough that they’re acting on their feelings now instead of denying and repressing and making puppy eyes. We’re all out of time for that now—there’s only one week left to go!

 
SONG OF THE DAY

Lee Seung-hwan – “기다린 날도 지워질 날도” (Days I Waited and Days That’ll Be Erased) [ Download ]

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EPISODE 18: “Goodbye first love”

We’re all the way in October 1994 now, which means the gang is 23 this year. One by one they rush out to go over to Taek’s room for his birthday party, and both Jung-hwan’s parents and Deok-sun’s parents linger by the doorway, looking wistfully at their second child who never comes home.

Jung-hwan’s parents sigh that they miss the high school years because they got to see their son, while Deok-sun’s dad gets all huffy about her finally coming home and immediately running off to hang out with her friends. He perks up right away when Mom informs him that Bora is coming home though, and yells after Deok-sun that she can just stay out.

Sun-woo comes out of his room (in Taek’s house, squee) and takes issue with Jin-ju not greeting him. He reminds her that there was a time when she was alllll about Oppa, but Jin-ju pouts that Sun-woo is hardly home and always sleepy. Dad tells Jin-ju to be the bigger person and apologize first, and she considers it.

Mom sets the table for Taek’s birthday party and asks Sun-woo to check on him, to make sure he’s not down the street struggling to park his new car. That’s exactly what Taek is doing, in fact, and the hilarious part is that there are no other cars around him. He just has to park it against an empty wall, but can’t figure out why the car won’t go there.

Finally Sun-woo comes to the rescue and sends Taek home because the family is waiting, so Taek complies. Everyone rushes to the door when he comes in, and Jin-ju complains that Oppa came home so late that the food is getting cold. He takes out a lollipop from his pocket and gives it to her, and she’s happy again. Okay, I am actually jealous of a little girl right now. She gets to have Sun-woo AND Taek as oppas?

Taek opens the door to his room to find a lavish home-cooked meal set out for his birthday party, which is pretty damn moving, when compared to the pizza boxes and bottles of Coke he used to have.

Sun-woo heads home after parking the car, which is of course the exact time that Bora turns the corner and arrives on their street. They both pause and look at each other, but before Bora can say anything, Sun-woo gives her a silent courtesy bow and heads inside. Aw, he’s still heartbroken.

The kids sing happy birthday to Taek and give him a pager as a birthday gift, and he says he doesn’t need one or even know how to use it. They complain that he’s the only person without one, and Deok-sun says THEY need him to use it.

Taek asks how Jung-bong is doing and if he’s studying for the bar exam, and Jung-hwan tells him that Hyung isn’t studying at all. Honestly, I thought it was a miracle he even got into college. Dong-ryong says that Bora is the anomaly for locking herself up in a gosiwon and not even visiting her family just to pass the exam, and Taek gives a little glance over at Sun-woo, who’s got his head down.

Mom rattles off a million things to Bora all at once because it’s been so long since she’s been home, and Bora assures her that she’s living well. Dad complains about her living with her friend and Deok-sun always staying over at a friend’s house between flights, and No-eul always off to do another concert (he’s a college student, so he must be in theater/performing arts like he wanted).

They get a call in the middle of dinner because an employee at Dad’s bank took off with some money, and he has to rush off to go catch them. Bora wonders if Dad isn’t too old for the fraud department now, but Mom says he’s still spry and will still earn extra money while he can.

Taek’s birthday party now has beers instead of soda, and the boys grill Deok-sun on her latest boyfriend. She insists that she dumped him, so of course the boys tease her endlessly about being dumped.

Sun-woo and Taek’s parents come over to have drinks with Jung-hwan’s parents, and they ask why the phone line here is always busy when they try to call. It’s because Jung-bong is monopolizing the computer (remember dial-up?), his latest obsession. Some things never change. He’s in a chatroom with a few people, and when he mentions a space travel card, one of the others named Maggie’s Memories (Maggie was Mi-ok’s nickname in high school) names the board game that it came from, and it startles him.

Deok-sun’s mom joins them with today’s newspaper in hand, with a big story about a famous celebrity naming Taek as her ideal type. His parents say that they’d prefer someone ordinary, not famous, but they trust Taek to find someone on his own. He goes on plenty of blind dates all the time, and Dad figures he’ll meet the right person eventually by doing that.

Dad guesses that Taek’s friends are teasing him about that news story right about now. Deok-sun cracks up while reading it, wondering if all these famous people who like Taek know that he can’t tie his shoelaces.

Dong-ryong asks Taek why he can’t manage to have a relationship when he goes on more dates than any of them, and Sun-woo ignores Taek’s protests and tells them the real reason: He goes on blind dates and then gets rejected over and over because he never says anything and the women are frustrated and bored. Lol. Taek pouts that he tries, and they tell him to try harder.

Dong-ryong prods Deok-sun to set them up on a group date, but she doesn’t want to hear complaints from her girlfriends about the guys she brought. Dong-ryong and Sun-woo even get Taek to agree, but Jung-hwan refuses. He’s up in Seoul for a short stint, but eventually he’ll go back to his post and any relationship would end then anyway.

They ask Jung-hwan to play a song as they start drifting off to sleep, and Sun-woo tells Deok-sun to stay over too. But she says she’s going home after this song. Everyone shuts their eyes where they are, but then after a little while, Taek opens his eyes and stares across the room.

Then we see that Jung-hwan has his eyes open too, and they’re both staring at the empty space where Deok-sun was sitting just a moment ago. Deok-sun and Bora share a bed like old times, but both sisters lie awake deep in thought.

In the morning, Deok-sun heads out just a few seconds ahead of Jung-hwan and they miss each other on the street, and then again as Jung-hwan drives by and Deok-sun looks down at her watch. The whole sequence is set to Forrest Gump music, and she goes on a date to watch Forrest Gump with another guy.

The moms ask each other if they’ve seen their kids while they’ve been home, and Jung-hwan’s mom says she’s seen a lot of the back of Jung-hwan’s head. Sun-woo’s mom says she sees a lot of Taek and Sun-woo… when their eyes are closed. In flashback we see Mom and Dad just staring and staring at Taek and Sun-woo while they sleep, wondering if they’ve lost weight since last time or just checking to make sure they’re still breathing. Ha.

Deok-sun’s mom says that Bora does nothing but sleep when she’s home too. They ask if she’s chosen a specialty, and Mom says Bora wants to be a prosecutor, and thankfully her student protesting history won’t stand in the way of that. Jung-hwan’s mom sighs wondering when Jung-bong will ever get to that point, and starts chugging soju straight out of the bottle.

Bora’s friend reminds her about the blind date she promised to go on this weekend. She says it’s with a younger man—a third-year med student at Yonsei who’s a genius. Sun-woo? She says he has a nickname: “Garbage.” Lol, it’s Oppa-ya!

So Garbage Oppa turns out to be Sun-woo’s classmate at Yonsei, and they even share an office at the hospital (and a crossover character in their friend). They help each other out and are friendly, and Garbage asks Sun-woo for his pager number because Sun-woo owes him a favor.

Deok-sun’s dad comes home late and asks to be woken up early because of his big fraud case. He passes out right away, leaving Mom worried about his health. Jung-hwan’s mom stands by the window just waiting for Jung-hwan to come home, and Dad gently tells her that Jung-hwan said he’d be out late.

He’s hanging out at Dong-ryong’s hyung’s restaurant, where Dong-ryong works now. They close up for the night and wait for their friends, and reminisce about the time they saw JYP at that dance competition when they were kids. Dong-ryong asks why Jung-hwan hasn’t dated anyone seriously, and says that going on a few blind dates and dating for a month or two doesn’t count.

Dong-ryong points out that he still hasn’t given anyone his graduation ring (from the military academy, apparently a “fiancée ring” that you give to your girl when you graduate because that’s tradition). Jung-hwan says he doesn’t have a girlfriend to give it to, and Dong-ryong sighs that he’s going to die before ever being able to confess once. Yeah no kidding. Or I’ll die first.

Taek’s colleague at the baduk training center is super grateful to Deok-sun because she introduced him to one of her flight attendant friends, and the friend introduced Deok-sun to her current boyfriend in return.

The boys arrive at the restaurant before Deok-sun, and Taek says he can’t drink because he brought his car. Dong-ryong says that Deok-sun can drive because she quit drinking, which the other guys all say won’t last long.

Deok-sun arrives and they all greet her as Soo-yeon because Dong-ryong remembered that fortuneteller and her predictions, and Deok-sun scowls that she needs to move because there’s nothing they don’t know about her.

They ask if things are going well with the boyfriend, not really believing her, and she insists that she’s really popular elsewhere. Taek: “Where?” Jung-hwan: “Come on, let’s not lie to each other.”

She says she’s going to a concert with the boyfriend this Sunday, and Dong-ryong reminds her that they were all supposed to go see Forrest Gump together. Deok-sun and Taek have both already seen it, which makes the other three grump that they can’t go see a movie with just three guys.

Deok-sun takes that to mean they at least see her as a girl, and offers to cancel her date to go with them. They yell at her for acting all cutesy, and she scowls and asks for a drink. Taek informs her quietly that she can’t because she has to drive, and then continues to drink his beer. Pfft.

They see Dong-ryong home because he’s roaring drunk, and when Deok-sun trips over his front gate, Jung-hwan and Taek both jump in to hold her up on either side. Well that’s not awkward.

Deok-sun comes home and asks Mom why Dad looks so tired these days. She wonders if maybe he should retire, but Mom says he would hate not working, and she’ll make sure to get him some herbal medicine.

Jung-hwan’s mom is still awake until he comes home, and when Taek heads in, Mom is there to make sure he got in safe. She reminds him not to take sleeping pills tonight, and he smiles to find a cup of milk left out for him.

Jung-bong is a bundle of nerves as he decides to ask his chatroom to meet up in person, and he’s floored when Maggie responds: “First floor, not second.” Aw, he’s so happy. I really hope it’s Mi-ok!

Deok-sun’s dad brings up the topic of early retirement with Mom, but she tells him that he can’t retire before their kids are married off. She obviously feels bad for insisting, but doesn’t want their daughters to be at a disadvantage. He takes it back right away and swears he wasn’t considering it seriously.

Deok-sun gets all dressed up for her concert, only to get a message from her date asking to cancel at the last minute. So she changes out of her nice clothes and trudges out in slippers to go buy groceries for Mom, and happens to run into the guys on their way out. She lies that she’s going to the concert anyway, and lets Dong-ryong drive her just to keep up the ruse that she didn’t get dumped.

It must be Blind Date Sunday, because Bora heads out on her blind date and waits for Garbage to page her, and Jung-bong heads out to meet Maggie with his pink shirt and a bouquet of roses.

Taek washes his face in the bathroom, as Deok-sun’s flight attendant friend tells her boyfriend that the guy she set up with Deok-sun turned out to have a girlfriend on the side. Dong-ryong and Jung-hwan grouse when Sun-woo cancels on the movie, and they’re surprised when they notice Deok-sun’s boyfriend at the movie theater with another girl. Dong-ryong figures that Deok-sun got dumped after all, but Jung-hwan looks pissed.

He’s distracted through the whole movie and doesn’t hear a word that Dong-ryong is saying to him, and just as Jenny and Forrest are running through a crowd to get to each other in the movie, Jung-hwan darts up and runs out of the theater. Yeessssss! Ruuuuuun, Jung-hwan, ruuuuuuunn!

He races to his car and peels out of the parking lot, and outside the concert hall, Deok-sun leaves a message with her friend Ja-hyun to come to the concert and bring her some clothes. She’s freezing in her sweats and slippers, but insists on waiting outside.

Jung-hwan speeds the whole way, beside himself every time he’s stopped by a red light and forced to wait. He looks like he might start running people over if he can’t get there faster.

Deok-sun waits and waits even though the concert has started, and even the ticket-takers start to pity her. But then she looks up and sees someone approaching…

Jung-bong waits and waits, looking up and looking despondent every time someone else walks through the door. And then finally, someone makes him stand up…

Bora looks across the table at her date and asks, “Are you Garbage?”

Deok-sun gapes as someone runs over to her out of breath… Omo, it’s Taek!

And aaaaack, Jung-hwan was literally two steps behind. He turns and walks away, as he narrates: “Fate doesn’t come around at any time. To use the word fate, it has to be a dramatic moment brought by coincidence—that makes it fate. That’s why another word for fate is timing. If I hadn’t gotten caught at just one of those lights, if those damned red lights had helped me out just once… I might be standing in front of her right now, like fate. My first love was always held back by damned timing. That damned timing.”

Jung-bong looks at the girl who just walked in, and yay, it’s Mi-ok! She looks adorable. They don’t even need to say a word to each other, and he just rushes her in a giant hug, crying because he’s so happy to have found her again.

Bora asks her blind date again, “Are you Garbage?” But it’s Sun-woo, not Garbage, and he asks what Bora is doing here. She tells him to answer first, so we flash back to Garbage reminding Sun-woo that he owed him a favor. Garbage got told to go on the blind date, but earlier on Sunday, Na-jung fell and twisted her ankle.

Oppa-ya ran over to find her, and left a message for Sun-woo on his way, cashing in on that favor by asking him to go on the blind date.

Jung-hwan’s night only gets worse as he sits in his car listening to the radio. The news reports an unprecedented forfeit from baduk player Choi Taek, who suddenly forfeited today’s match for personal reasons. He skipped a match to go to Deok-sun?

Jung-hwan slams his steering wheel in anger and cries alone in his car. He narrates, “But fate and timing aren’t just coincidences that find you. They’re moments like miracles, that arise out of choices made because of ardent desire. Surrender and decision, without hesitation—that is what makes timing. He was more ardent, and I should’ve had more courage. It wasn’t the red lights, nor the timing that was bad… but the countless times I hesitated.”

Sun-woo and Bora sit in tense silence for a while, and Sun-woo says bitterly that Bora must feel nothing if she was able to go on a blind date with someone from his school in his department. But she says, “I came for the one-percent chance that it could be you.”

When she heard that his nickname was Garbage, she realized it couldn’t be Sun-woo, but then she thought that maybe he’d hear about the date because it was with one of his classmates. Bora: “And though it’s only a one-percent chance, if you still liked me, then couldn’t we start over?” Her eyes well up with tears as she says, “I know this sounds crazy, but I missed you.” Sun-woo doesn’t know how on earth to respond.

Deok-sun insists that she didn’t get stood up, and Taek just nods and says he knows. He lets her tell the white lie about her date getting into an accident on the way, just throws his jacket around her shoulders. She says she’s not cold, so he says he’s too warm to wear it, and follows her into the concert with a smile.

Jung-hwan wipes his tears and continues to narrate, quoting Forrest Gump: “‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.’ Even if I’ve picked the bitterest chocolate of them all, it can’t be helped. That’s the fate I chose. There’s no regretting it, crying about it, or being heartbroken about it.”

2015. Deok-sun begins another interview at a coffee shop, and when Lee Seung-hwan comes on over the radio, she reminisces about going to many of his concerts. She wonders if they don’t have too much interview footage by now, and says asking her stuff is fine, but her husband normally dislikes doing interviews and she only agreed to do this one because her sister asked.

Husband arrives and stands around awkwardly while Deok-sun runs to get him a coffee, and she tells him to go home, promising that she won’t bug him while he works today. He lies that he likes interviews, and she laughs and tells him to go home. She reminds him to take out the trash, and he says he already did on his way to the comic book store. She mutters at him to stop with the comic books for his image’s sake, and he shuffles off.

Back in 1994, Sun-woo peels open his eyes in the morning to find Mom and Jin-ju staring creepily down at him. He tells them to stop being scary, but Mom pouts that everyone’s asleep. Jin-ju asks why he even comes home if all he ever does here is sleep, and Sun-woo asks to sleep some more, but caves and asks for breakfast.

Jung-hwan wakes up to find his parents doing the same creepy hovering thing, and he jumps out of his skin. He asks why they didn’t wake him, but Mom and Dad wanted to let him sleep in. Mom is so cute about having made his favorite dish, and Jung-hwan laughs into his pillow.

Bora and Deok-sun wake up face-to-face, which surprises Bora since she didn’t hear Deok-sun come home last night. They start the morning off with an old-school fight, and Dad chuckles that it sounds like home again. Dad gets a bloody nose that morning, and Mom looks more worried than usual.

At Sun-woo and Taek’s house, Sun-woo says that all the kids are getting together tonight because Jung-hwan is leaving tomorrow. Taek says he has a match, but it should end early. Jin-ju nags him to do fewer competitions, and when Sun-woo laughs, she nags him not to come home anymore if all he’s going to do is sleep. When Taek laughs at that, she nags him not to date that celebrity who likes him, or else. Guess we know who the boss is around here.

At Jung-hwan’s house, Mom stares and stares at the calendar feeling like something is off, and goes to check the calendar on her nightstand. We see her flip back a few months and find a date circled, but the past few months are clean. Hm, I wonder if it’s menopause.

Deok-sun and Jung-hwan head out together to meet the gang, and he notices that she keeps checking her pager. She asks if it’s okay to take his car when they’re going to drink, and he says she’ll be driving it home. He tells her to put on some music, but all he has are Lee Moon-se tapes so she picks one, and they spend the whole ride bickering like old times.

They have beers with Dong-ryong and Sun-woo, and Taek is on his way. Jung-hwan notices that Deok-sun looks up every time someone opens the front door, which just leaves tiny cracks in my heart every time.

Dong-ryong asks for Jung-hwan’s graduation ring, and Jung-hwan takes it out but says it’s kind of a waste to give it to Dong-ryong. Dong-ryong complains that he doesn’t have anyone else to give it to and will die before ever proposing to a girl, and says, “It’s my wish to see you confess before I die.”

Suddenly Jung-hwan says, “Deok-sun-ah…” and puts the ring box in front of her. HOLY SHIT. He says he was going to give it to her when he graduated, but he’s doing it now. Sun-woo and Dong-ryong stare at each other wondering what’s going on, but Jung-hwan just continues like they’re not even there.

Jung-hwan: “I like you.” He says it again so intently, and then laughs as he tells her about all the things he did, like waiting for an hour outside the house just to go to school with her, or not being able to sleep until she came home from the library every night: “All I ever thought about was you.”

Dong-ryong mouths to Sun-woo: “This bastard must be for real!” Sun-woo tells him to shut it. Jung-hwan names the times they ran into each other on the bus, or went to the concert together, or when she gave him a shirt for his birthday: “I was so happy I thought I’d go crazy.” He says he always wanted to see her more, and was just happy when he was with her. Deok-sun smiles as he says all this, and he adds, “I’ve wanted to tell you this for a long time: I really like you. I love you.” Omg, I’m a puddle of goo.

The moment lingers, and then suddenly Jung-hwan turns to Dong-ryong and asks, “Is that good, moron? You said this was your wish.” Oh nooooooooes, Jung-hwan, you’re not going to act like it was all a joke, are you? I’m going to go cry in a corner now.

Sun-woo and Dong-ryong are so shocked that they don’t even understand at first, but then they take it as him pulling one over on all of them and laugh. Sun-woo asks Deok-sun if she was fooled too, and she just smiles, not knowing what to say to that. Jung-hwan smiles on the outside, but he looks like he’s on the verge of tears. Are you seriously going to take this TO YOUR FREAKING GRAVE?

Dong-ryong says he’s smitten and confesses that he loves Jung-hwan back, and they laugh it off like it was a prank. Deok-sun looks over at the door again when it opens, and Jung-hwan notes it again.

In flashback, we see that after Jung-hwan told Deok-sun she didn’t look pretty in a hanbok way back in 1988, he ran inside to stare at her from the window. And after showing up to give her an umbrella in the rain and walk away with his cool one-liner, he ran home and freaked out like big dork, and smiled at himself for doing the cool thing.

He was a total spaz about the Christmas present too, and nearly chickened out of asking No-eul to deliver it for him. He finally managed to give it to No-eul, who couldn’t comprehend why Jung-hwan would be giving Deok-sun a Christmas present, and to cover up his own embarrassment, Jung-hwan basically kicked him until No-eul was too afraid to ask more questions. Lol.

The group reminisces about old times over drinks, and they decide to move on to round two and page Taek to meet them there. They get up to go, and Jung-hwan’s ring gets left behind on the table.

 
COMMENTS

Noooo, don’t leave it on the table! Is first love over, just like that? It can’t be over, there are two episodes left! I’m starting to have a mild panic attack here, because I was not expecting Jung-hwan to just fold like that. How can you confess like THAT, so sincere and heartfelt, and then say you’re kidding? That’s not… You can’t… AGH. That confession really threw me for a loop. And I still can’t read Deok-sun’s expressions throughout it—is it just sweet nostalgia for an old crush, and is she waiting for Boyfriend Taek to arrive? (Not that I wouldn’t squee about that either. I mean, that’s kind of the nice thing, or terrible thing, about this love triangle.) Or is she disappointed when he acts like he punked them and she’s trying to save face? I feel like Jung-hwan just took himself out of the race with that final I-love-you-just-kidding, but if he really did, I don’t know if I can handle it. *whimper*

It really is in keeping with their characters for Taek to go all in when he sees an opportunity and for Jung-hwan to hesitate so long that he shoots himself in the foot. So, so much that it kills me. But I am glad that he finally learned his lesson about making your own damn fate, because screw timing and coincidence—you make that fate yourself with every choice, and hesitation and inaction are choices too. That’s a really important thing for Jung-hwan to learn as he finally grows up, even if he learns it in the most painful way possible. The thing that throws a wrench in everything is that we still don’t know how Deok-sun feels about any of this, whether seeing Taek at the concert reignited old feelings, whether Taek finally confessed, or if she’s ever thought of either them in the years since high school.

I didn’t expect to be moved by Jung-bong and Mi-ok’s reunion, because their loveline has always been comic relief or just sweet. But Jung-bong was crying when he finally found her again, and I suddenly felt like he’d had a hole in his heart all those years. It fits his character more than anyone else that he’d be fixated on his first love and never move on, and because their loveline was never guaranteed, I was so relieved when she walked through the door.

Bora and Sun-woo, on the other hand, were always going to get back together; it was just a matter of how. It was the best crossover yet to have Garbage and Sun-woo as classmates in med school, since it works out that they’re the same age (I never really stopped to think about how the timelines overlapped, and find it funny that these kids are older than Na-jung and the rest of the 1994 gang, even though, duh). The blind date switcheroo might’ve been an actual twist of fate, but I liked that Bora owned up to saying yes for that tiny chance that she might see Sun-woo again. It’s nice to see the reversal too, because he always chased her and liked her more when they were young, and now she has to work to convince him to give their relationship another chance. I thought it was cute that she went on the date even after knowing that Sun-woo’s nickname could never be Garbage, just on the off chance that she could make him jealous. It’s so roundabout when she could just knock on his door, but he clearly hasn’t made it very easy for her to approach him.

It’s a big relief to know that everyone has at least attempted to move on and date other people, and that it’s not for lack of trying that they’re still lingering on first loves (I’d argue that it’s because some of you never confessed, but that’s water under the bridge). Taek and Sun-woo’s family is so cute that I just want to spend entire episodes with Bossy Princess Jin-ju telling her oppas how to behave, with Mom looking after Taek and Dad getting Sun-woo to play catch. They’re like a mini Brady Bunch, and I love it. Taek eats whole meals, has a little sister to dote on, and their house doesn’t seem so quiet and sad anymore. I found it hilarious that all the parents kept staring at their sleeping kids because they never see them anymore—it helped make the passage of time feel real, in a way that just cutting their hair or dressing them differently doesn’t do nearly as well. Because the parents actually act like they desperately miss their kids, I find myself thinking of them as having left the nest and living full adult lives out there. It makes the group reunions bittersweet too, but it means more that they still get together on Taek’s birthday because that’s tradition, and that they make time for each other even though their lives are going in all sorts of different directions. At least I know that no matter which way the loveline goes, our gang will always be the same. Okay, I’m off to go cry some more.

 
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I'm #teamtaek but the writer is really bad for making Junghwan's sincere confession turns into a jokeㅡㅡ.
Really, I got teary-eyes when he confessed to Deoksun, because I think we all know what he's been through for six f****** years.

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But, that six years was what JH did to himself. He even admitted that himself "its not because the red light or bad timing, but because many times that he hesitated before". Poor JH, but for me poor DS become the victim's of JH pride #TeamTaek

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Anyone else think they changed the script?

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PD interview said the husband was determined at the start. No change to the script.

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Taek is only for Deoksun... that's what I'm thinking when I watch the whole series. #teamtaek

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I still think it's going to be Jung-hwan.

It's during these last few weeks that I wavered on my belief that the AM female leads would end up with the other guy (Shi-won with Oppa in 97 & Na-jung with Chilbong in 94).

However, it' the first time in the series wherein the female lead was so vague with her feelings that I don't know what decision she'll make. I've always known with Shi-won and Na-jung who they liked, but with Deok-sun I'm not sure. I knew she liked Jung-hwan and there were/are hints she feels something for Taek but what that is, I don't know.

I'm pretty sure there's a big clue somewhere in the future husband scenes and I feel that the clues given are somehow misleading or distracting. Got a little horrified last night while reading the live recaps on soompi when a few people misheard future husband say "I'm Choi Taek". I swear I heard groans all over the world upon reading that. ;)

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first of, let me state that it doesn't matter who the husband is so nobody hurt me after reading what I'm gonna say...

I am a very impartial viewer. I simply view and react the way the writers and directors lay things out. That has been the way for all dramas I've seen. For Reply 1994, I knew it would be trash. chilbong really had no chance. Same for 1997. But 1988? I thought and knew with 100% certainty that it would be JH. The entire love story has been filmed, figuratively speaking, from JH's point of view. I really thought this was a JH-DS love story. I'm not a shipper or anything so please, hear me out. It's really how the writing/directing was laid out. Taek is always seen through the lens of another person, not from his own pov lens. I'm not into film or writing so I'm not sure how to put this into words. So I feel really tricked. I can't even imagine how JH-DS shippers are feeling after today's episode. They probably want to punch something real bad.

But to cheer up some JH-DS fans, here's several evidence found by Knetizens that JH is endgame:
-The OST part 2 CD has JH's face on it. As it has always had the husband's face on it in previous seasons

-people are saying with 2 episodes 2 hours long left, today's episode is just a plot device to build up the angst. So that when JH and DS finally get together, that release of emotions is gonna be through the roof.

- DS's job. Why would DS, who never had any dreams, decide to be a flight attendant out of the blue? It's because she knew JH was going to be a pilot.

[SPOILER DELETED]

Oh.... and also. Apparently in January of 1995, S. Korea had an incident where several fighter jets collided in mid air during training and several pilots died. This is the same base that JH is stationed in...... Maybe this is the turning point for DS, wherein she thinks JH is dead/hurt and realizes how much she cares about him, kinda like Najung and Trash in the last episode of 1994.

Ok, sorry for long post. I had to release my feels somewhere.

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ah!!!!!!! you revived some hope in my heart! i was so sad thinking this was all over for JH. I really really really hope the things you say pan out.

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Oh my gosh! Your post raised some the little fighting spirit I have for a Jung Hwan turnaround haha. Nevertheless, I think I'm also going to have to prepare my heart for it to go either way. I have one week... It's just that I love Jung Hwan! I do! I do! But this is life! And life will not cater to your wants unless you reach out and grab it yourself and I think Jung Hwan learned that with this episode.

If anything I'm just so grateful to this show for bringing me/us a character like Jung Hwan. While the rest of the characters are great in their own right, Jung Hwan is the one that stood out to me with his experiences, his laughter and his pain.

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feelsfeelsfeelsfeels ??? i also think she may have kept that ring. regardless of everything else... even though junghwan got significantly less screentime towards the end, would it really make sense to utilise so many junghwan x deoksun moments (waiting for her outside, giving her the umbrella, mistaken bed scene, telling her not to go on blind date, mcdonalds scene, bus scene where she accidently grabs his shirt, bus scene with his hot veins, bus scene where she wakes up early etcetc) only for him to not be the husband? and you're right about the angst build up! it happens in all dramas. since junghwan is going to leave the day after the end of this ep, i think something may happen there? but yeah.. i really have no idea what the writer's going. i shall prepare my heart and be a-okay if the husband ends up being taekkie... maybe... after a good cry ?

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OMOOMOMO THANKYOU FOR THE INFO OF THE JETS COLLIDED

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...or maybe JH died during that training O_O The writer said that he doesn't like killing his characters but he also said that 1988 won't have the husband hunt ._.

But I'm still Team Junghwan #어남류

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That would be just like the Reply 1994 scenario...girl is leaning towards guy who has always been good to her, but then some cataclysmic event jolts her into realizing she really likes the guy who teases and belittles her. But he says he loves her so it's ok. Actually, this is the typical KDrama scenario - girl dumps nice guy for Extremely Flawed Hero because EFH is her first love who finally admitted he likes her. Either kdrama writers are hopeless romantics or they are on a desperate yet subtle mission to explain to the world why divorce rates are skyrocketing.

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There is a lot of build up for the angst then (since episode 10). Because from JH side there are a lot of angst. And it's not just because of faith. Some of the angst are also self inflicted.

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Your comment brought me hope. I'm TeamJungHwan all the way. It just has to be Jung-hwan. My heart breaks over and over again for him. ARGH!!!!

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ughhhh. I am crying. It's been awhile that a kdrama wrenched my heart like this. I liked both taek and JH but was always firmly on JH ship. But I def feel like this episode pointed to Taek as being the husband. I feel so awful for JH. he's held on to DS as his first love for YEARS. I really want happiness for him even if it isn't with DS. I still want him to be the husband and end up with DS, but just feel like the signs are not pointing to it. Trying to prepare myself for next week. AH please writers....don't do this to JH!!! He deserves better!!!!!!!!! He's always given up on himself for others.... and this is what he's going to get?! I can't even.

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Nooooo.... junghwan, you fool! Why did you do that? Just why??? ??

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This episode just makes you feel mighty and in love with the transportive powers a simple and heartfelt confession can contain.

It was so sticky sweet, that you can't help but grin, but it is also entirely possible that the confession became really dumb, after he made a joke out of it. But hey-that's love for you.

And No-eul's face when Jung-hwan gave him Doeksun's gift - priceless.

Reply 1988, I love you more than words can say.

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One of my favorite scenes this episode has to be No-eul's reaction to the Christmas gift. I watched it first with subs and couldn't stop laughing at his incredulity and Jung-pal's frustration. Watched it again with chinese subs and laughed again how he just stood there while Jung-pal grew more flustered by the second. I thought for a moment there he was going to make fun of Jung-pal.

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*without

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Siggghhh. HE WOULD. Jung-pal whyyyyy.

This really could go two ways. One, Deok Sun has given Taek a chance. Two, regardless of whether she knows about Taek's feelings, and regardless of whether she's accepted those feelings, hearing his sincere confession moves her. She knew that he used to like her and might be able to see through his joke, but what we don't know is her heart. After all, like in 1997, even if you are dating another guy, you might discover that you feel more for this guy.

If it is scenario #1, it becomes a bittersweet lesson for Jung-hwan to be a man and don't blame fate or coincidence. You shouldn't always concede for your family and best of friends. If it is scenario #2, this is just the angst that precedes a sweet resolution for our Jung-pal. Remember how far they pushed Yoon Yoon Jae into angst before we got our resolution for that couple?

Aisshhh I guess we should be glad this guy even confessed at all, even if it was under the guise of a joke.

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I am so torn after this episode. I don't really care who the husband is. I have been in camp Deok son. I want her to make up her mind, but if she ends up chasing JH after such a backwards, frankly a bit crappy of a confession, I might have a wtf is wrong with that girl moment. I hope if JH is end game, he steps up, grows a pair and does it right.

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Agreed with SonyaK, the reason why I'm on TeamTaek because I see what JH did to DS, as viewer we may be swooned by JH angst, but think about DS POV how many times she has been disappointed because of JH? either because of JH pride or because he give up for the other guys (even thou the other guys is his friend)? yes JH didn't want to hurt his friends feeling but by doing that he hurts the girl, and for me who rooted for the girl that was JH mistake and not merits.
Especially bout the "heartfelt" confession, lots people here said they bleed for JH, and then what about DS? can you imagine her feeling if she truly has feeling to JH? to listen the confession and the JH treat it like a joke?

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OK.... I have only watched Reply 1997 in its entirety (Reply 1994 never really caught me like 1997 did and I skipped a lot of episodes, mostly read recaps and only watched what I wanted) However, there's one thing that makes me think the husband is JH, and it's precisely his "bad timing"

In both Reply 1997 and 1994, the guys who ends up with the leading ladies are the guys who do all the wrong things and confess too late, or are too chickensh*ts to confess until is so freaking late, it seems all hope is lost.

So I think the writer is trolling us in the same way it did in 1997 and 1994, only more successfully. In 1997 and 1994 the leading ladies' feelings were mostly crystal clear and that's why most people already knew who the husband was even though they tried to troll us to the very end. So what they did right in 1988 (if the intention was to keep the maximum suspense till the end ) was keep Deoksung's feelings in the dark until now. I think that like they did in 1997 when they unveiled who the husband was, in the final 2 episodes we will see flashbacks or some sort of scene when we will finally see what was in DS heart all this time.

However, my instinct tells me JH is the husband, that is if the writers decided to follow their formula from the previous installments.

And don't get me wrong, I am actually team Taek. I would be devastated if I was right and Taek gets his heart blown to smithereens, but if we are taking the scientific approach (based on previous cases) I think JH is the husband (even though at this point I don't think he deserves to be at all )

Anyways, I hope I am proven wrong next week *fingers crossed*

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@ Samantha Reed

I'm thinking along similar lines, although I did not watch the others in the Reply series. The minute we know the girl's heart, the tension will be lost, therefore, to inflict maximum stress upon viewers, we are shown DS acting consistently ambivalently.

If, as you say the Reply series formula is that the guy with bad timing gets the girl, then this together with the show seeming to give more of JH's point of view, seems to be the clues to who gets the girl. :)

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They did that with Na Jung, too. I hate it.

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My take is that DS knows its real, and is very touched, but that was it. You can't force love or feelings onto another person. There is no such thing as getting the girl because you love her longer or more. Because how do you gauge love?

She was already shown started to have feelings for Taek just as he had decided to give her up for OT5 friendship ( irony of life).

The tiny involuntary movement to check the door each time it opens just to see if its Taek, showed to JH that he had no chance. Hence he decided to just end it cleanly there. To confess, and leave no regrets.

Though it was really awkward and sad to watch, good for you Jung pal!

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Wow. Taek is #winning, and junghwan lost before he even began to play. I am not going to lie, I was firmly on team Junghwan. But then, I can't get behind him if he chose not play. Add the fact that Taek is so lovable, it's easy to root for him. Hindsight is 20/20, but looking back, Taek did say to Sun-woo that he felt like he would die if he got rejected, while Junghwan never even admitted his feelings to his friends.

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YESSSSSSSSSSS, that's what I've been saying. If only JungHwan just bared his soul and Taek would also just admit to Junghwan about his feelings and everything would be in the open and none of this unnecessary angst.

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Jung hwaaaannnn.....u r such noble idiot....I like taek but I'm a shipper of JH X DS. So,.....*crying* pls tell me that DS is trying setup bora with sun woo.pls show

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It felt to me that JH made peace with himself at night in the jeep when he admitted that his hesitations were to blame. He said that life was like a box of chocolates you don't know what you're gonna get, and that he wasn't going to regret his decisions or linger and drag them out. Then the next morning he woke up in bed looking fresh and normal. And then he rode in the same car with DS and acted absolutely normally, bickering like they always do. I truly believe JH already made peace before the confession. The confession itself was just JH getting all those memories and feelings off his chest. And it was because he made peace with himself that he was able to make his confession like that.

The confession itself was also a life lesson to the viewers. He got his confession off but the timing was completely wrong, showing the sad irony of it all.

Anyway, I personally loved the way JH handled this and got over it. I like that he didn't get overly dramatic and sad, and was a true man about it, owning up to his mistakes and only blaming himself, and moving on.

In the next episode, I have a feeling that we're going to find out what's been happening for the past 4 years. I think that during the past 4 years, DS has been crushing on Taek. We'll find out about the dream-like kiss and whether it was real or not.

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Oh, and lastly. I beg the writer to give JH a beautiful girlfriend/wife and give him a happy ending. (I won't settle for anything less than a Miss Korea Harvard-graduate, daughter of Samsung) He really deserves it, for his pure heart and all his considerations and sacrifices for his brother and friends.

I just hate it when dramas show the "second-lead" not get over his first love and be single even when the drama is over. I #*$#*$ing HATE that.

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If they do give NotTheHusband a love interest in the next two episodes I hope it's not done like Chilbong's. Kicking off his interest in her because she used the same regional slang as Na Jung felt like a weird choice for the writers to make.

They could have had him notice her for any number of things but they chose a similarity to Na Jung. It didn't leave me with a good in impression of the relationship.

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AMEN to that!! What I hate the mosssstttttt about CB part of the story was that they just gave up on his growth completely. It made it seem like he just settled with his wife after Na Jung. He shouldn't have to settle. He should be able to love fully again.

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second Amen!! I prefer Hyung (Reply 1997) love line with the Doctor/DBSK Club Pres. more natural than Chilbong sudden interest in the NJ replacement.

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Love this and your prior comment. JH moved on from DS when he knew he was too late. DS was waiting for TK. I too hate kdramas that never show the second lead with a new love.

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JH's circumstance is like a life lesson i guess. You will get nothing in life if you hesitate and wait until all the chips fall into place. I think thats what the writer is trying to convey, that each person is charge of their own destiny/ fate. What's sad is that JH had to learn that the hard way. Whats sad to me is that JH is such an amazing person/ friend/ son. He always puts other people before himself. You never see that at often today in people. But that being said his biggest attribute is also his most fundamental flaw.

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Same here. I think he totally made peace and saying goodbye to his first love.

By admitting that, no it's not fate or timing or destiny, he was in the wrong. He couldn't quite run that extra mile while Taek dashed through without hesitation. I think he conceded the field to Taek because he didn't feel worthy I suppose?

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I agree that the writer is trying to portray that. He had everything going for him, but didn't step up when he should have. This drama is a little more realistic than some, so I think him not ending up with her seems reasonable. As much as I was Team JH, he blew it and he knows he did.

TK went the extra mile when he wouldn't. Though in the end it does come down to DS. There's a reason we don't know what she feels.

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junghwan's reaction to being 2 step late, yet again was so realistic. blaming the traffic lights at first then realising and accepting the fact that really he was to blame himself so hesitating million times and missing out all the opportunity. its so gratifying to see a character grow and learn about life.

that scene with the parents staring that their children while they were sleeping was so touching. my parents actually do that to me and my siblings lol now i want to go hug my parents :'(

and the love triangle, whichever way it goes, i know for sure that my heart will be bleeding for the other boy T_T T_T
theyre both such endearing characters. writernim really outdid him/herself by creating such strong characters.

thanks for the recap girlfriday. its so sad that well be saying goodbye to this neighboughood next week. im not ready for this.

okay let me go cry some more and then ill revise for my exam.

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Oh! And the red lights were insane. If the Color Theory still exists, with TK being the red one and JH on green, then what is keeping JH from rushing to DS's side is obviously TK. Poor Jung-pal.

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Actually if you're using the colour theory then he's red, because it was his hesitation that made him late not Taek. He said so himself

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her husband normally dislikes doing interviews and she only agreed to do this one because her sister asked.

Bora ask? what for? this interview is do because of Bora or DS?

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2015 DS said... I only did it becos 'unnie' asked...

It doesn't have to be Bora. In Korea don't they all address girls who are older to themselves as unnie?

She asked if its is ok to be interviewing her so much, and apologised that her husband really doesn't like interviews...

There is a good chance this unnie is that Miss Park ( the President of his fanclub) that appeared before to interview Papa Choi.

Its so lovely to see how close the couple is, like how she wordlessly touched his hands and gave him a hot coffee to warm them. The simple coupley things like asking if he took out the garbage etc... And for the husband to not want to go yet because he wants to hang out there with her a bit longer, to lie and say he likes interviews....

*my heart is so full now*

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ooo, that make sense too, Thank you =))

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"In Korea don’t they all address girls who are older to themselves as unnie? "

Only people who are very close. And only females address other females as unnie.

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haha that threw me too! at first i assumed the whole interiew thing was because of who the husband was, but it wouldn't make sense for bora to ask deoksun to do that kind of interview..

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i thought maybe BR ask DS to do interview, to collected it, she maybe do series of interview from other person too? For now, I just enjoy the series, dont want to think too much. Huhuhuhu

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I thought i would be ok if it ends up to be Taek because ultimately its who deok sun likes more and who i like doesn't matter and both guys are so awesome anyway BUT URGH OMG MY POOR JUNG HWAN!!!!! Y DID THE WRITERS MAKE ME SO INVESTED :<<<

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I'm so glad I'm not the only one crying because of and for Junghwan. Like most everyone here I learned my lesson from chilbongie, and before going into this drama I told myself not to get attach to any of the answer me boys. However, without wanting to or not from lack of trying my heart fell for junghwan. All his actions so far been true to his character, and I give the writers credit for that but it's not good for my health or sanity. It's been a frustrating ride, but its nice to see him grow and finally acknowledge that his fate or situation right now is because of his hesitation. The car and confession scene just broke my heart to million of pieces, but I can't help rewatching it and cried all over again. I watched this episode raw so many times today just to try and make it till tonight for the recap. My family think I'm nuts all day because I'm screaming, swooning and crying at my phone lol. I'm also so distracted all day I couldn't do anything right. Thank you GF for the wonderful recap, and like you said that silly boy better not took himself out of the race by that "I like u but no can know" confession. There will be another answer me war if that happen. LoL. Now after waiting all day for the recap I can go to sleep knowing I have friends on here who is feeling my pain or craziness for JH. I will send out a prayer to all my sisters on DB for us to make it through to the final next wk!!! Fighting everyone! :)

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I also envy that little girl! Having SW as a brother, and now Taek. Lucky Jin-joo!

And the parents hovering over their sleeping kids are adorable. I do that too with mine, and they're practically still babies. I can imagine doing that when they're all grown up (nooooo! I want them as babies, always lol)

I LOVE JH's confession! Okay, it's sad. I cried. But story-wise, the writer is brilliant! I don't think I've ever seen a confession like this in my whole kdrama watching experience, or maybe all my life. We, the viewers, KNOW he meant it, while he was saying it, and then they made him turn it all around as if it's a joke. We also know that only JH could do that. It's so him. Him confessing right that moment (at last) was already an element of surprise, but then it was played as a joke. (Writer to viewers: Gotcha!!) Of course it made us (or some of us) sadder. But hey, it's his choice. I still think that there's still a chance he's the husband, however small it is. Anything can happen in two episodes. I'll all for more surprises. But no surprise is also good. Some romantic moments between Taek & DS maybe? ;-)
More bromance?
Or Jinjoo-oppas-mance? (favoring this!)
Some certain cameo(s) in 1997?

Anything! I just so don't want this drama to end *sadface

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+1 for the certain cameo. fat chance, but I would be on cloud 9. I will not really be happy with any kind of ending if there is not that cameo

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So..... if Taek and DS get married.

Then... their families will be double in-laws...which is kind of a strange thing in Korean culture......

And r u serious? So JH will have to see Taek and DS's wedding?
Wow, that is some cruel shit right there.

I honestly think the only proper closure JH can get after today's heart wrenching episode (that literally shred my heart into a million pieces) is to either: move far, far away from this tiny town, or..... die. (I remember ppl thinking someone would die in this series)

Ah, and also, Taek is a liar for saying he didn't see see JH's wallet. I mean, where the heck did that come from??? JH has backed down from his years long crush for you and you be lying to him???? So basically Taek is being like "I know you like her. But guess what, I'm gonna pretend I don't know you like her. So I can pursue her in peace."
wow.

Maybe Taek told DS that JH likes her. I mean, he knows right? And Taek is a nice guy. His shippers make him out to be an angel, so.

And also, after the birthday party, DS has trouble falling asleep. The reason for that can't really be Taek. Ppl forget that although she has a job her usual permanent home is still her current home. And Taek as well. So why would she lose sleep over someone she hasn't reaaaally been separated from? It's only JH that has been separated from the crew.

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its really interesting how there are different ways to read actions, like taek pretending he didn't see jung-hwan's wallet. i didn't interpret it as being as... despicable, i guess, as you haha.

i might not have been paying enough attention when i watched earlier, but it seemed like deok-sun didn't spend a lot of time at her family home? i thought someone had mentioned that between flights she was always at a friend's house and not at home?

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I'm also surprised by how some shippers view the opponent character. like TK is a liar, or JH is sly for asking lots of pocket money from his mom. wtf.

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same

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Or DS is frustrating and stupid for not knowing all this time that JH loved her. Anything to blame other people and not your favorite character I guess.

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Isn't that unfair to DS?

She may have felt JH liked her but they had been together for so long she could be doubtful. She might have thought she was reading too much into JH's gestures and decided no, he wasn't into her after all.

I don't think it is a must for DS's to understand JH's feelings (or Taek's for that matter) if she wasn't confessed to.

If (big IF) we wanted to pinpoint what could have made their situations better, perhaps, it would be that DS should've materialized DR's advice (to like someone on her own without him liking her first). If she'd liked JH, then she should've confessed first. Then again, she may not love him MORE as a romantic partner than she did him as her best friend, so she chose not to confess.
That's why I don't believe there is ANY character that we can blame. It's simply about timing and decision.

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@bee

Yep, it's totally unfair to her. She's neither stupid or frustrating. She didn't know he was hiding behind the window staring at her after he said something rude to her. She didn't know his feelings for her, and that he found out TK loved her too and why he was cold. JH did a good job at hiding this stuff from everyone in the group. Oh TK knows by accident. It's not her fault JH is suffering now.

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And re : confessing

She had other things to do with her life. She had college she wanted to work towards and a dream to find. The other guys had their future to worry about and I'm so glad the writer didn't make her focus on guys. Once she was a senior and her mother had that meeting with the teacher, she grew up. JH and TK were put on hold for the most part.

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Yep, totally agree with you. I'm too glad the writer didn’t make her focus on guys :)

Though still, this little part of me can't get why the blame: Taek's sly/ a liar, JH's plain idiot, DS's frustrating. I wonder if everyone saying so could be so sure of what to do if s/he were in their shoes.

Two more eps to go and honestly, whoever DS's in love and chooses to be with doesn't matter to me. Both are great guys and I believe either can make her happy. I also believe that both will be happy too (each and every one of them all deserves it, really) ;)

P.S: I'm sorry for awkward diction and tenses choices, kekeke, English never comes naturally for me but I do my best. I hope it's understandable :D

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Taek didn't say he didn't look inside JH's wallet because he wants to ignore JH's feelings and pursue DS. He did so because he cares for JH's feelings. He doesn't want their relationship become awkward. And he gave up on DS for their friendship too. Remember he cancelled his movie date with DS after finding out JH likes DS too?

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you´re not a nice person. how can you twist it around like that? Taek said he didn´t see. Then he went on countless blind dates. Does that look like "freely pursuing" to you?

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I think we should stay far away from personal comments. this is dramabeans! we're all friends here :)

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it is just a statement of fact. nothing personal about it.

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lol why are you so bitter?

I dont think taek lied so he could "pursue deoksun in peace" lmao he basically gave up on her the moment he found out JH had feelings for her despite originally being a competitive person and already planning to confess to her. He lied then because he didnt want JH to feel bad about it or put a strain in their friendship so he pretended nothing happened.

but yeah, I think you should just chill a bit lol you're really harbouring some passive agressive feelings towards a character in a drama >.<; it's just fictional you know?

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My heart just went THUMP. i can't even watch the show because i'd be broken hearted for JH. both of the guys are great for DS but honestly, it's always been JH for me. waiting for next week is gonna suck so bad and i'm starting school monday too! WHY?!!! why must the show do this to my heart </3

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gahh what a perfect crossover. i had wondered if garbage oppa would be someone that sun-woo knew from school or if he'd be someone bora dated, because someone pointed out in the last episode that in 1994 na-jung mentions that oppa-ya dated a student activist... i love that it was kind of both.

i'm glad jung-hwan has learned an important lesson about fate and timing and choices. all series long he's been hesitating when it comes to deok-sun. i know a lot of people believed that he was endgame, but he always hesitated so much, i was never really convinced. good things come to those who wait, yes, but great things come to those who go out and get them.

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So only Trash oppa has shoot for the cameo. The rest with NJ is clips from Reply 1994 plus editing skills.

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YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I REFRESHED THIS PAGE :(( THANK YOU!! by far the most frustrating episode in K-drama I ever watched!

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Just an observation. Park Bo Gum was a rightie in IRY but a leftie in Reply 1988. And Kim Joo Hyuk is a leftie. ???

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I literally cant breath when JH do that confession.
And my heart shattered after. :'(

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Maybe, just maybe, Taek told Deoksun about Junghwan's feelings too. Maybe he gave her a fair chance to choose any one of them. And that's why Deoksun was looking at the door, waiting for Taek to come, and tell him her decision. :)

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Interesting hypothesis.

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I had thought about that too. Or it is possible she rejected him, so she is anxious to make sure he is okay and still comfortable around them. There are many possibilities left. :)

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I can't with this episode! Whhyyyyyyyyy ???????. The whole interview conversation in the present time just made me think even more that it's Taek..why else would they be doing an interview, unless Jang Hwan becomes famous for something... And then the way she was taking care of him. Ughhhhh, Which breaks my heart cause I'm Team Jang Hwan! ? I feel like in the beginning it was supposed to be JH, but they changed it as the show progressed. Although I'm a little discouraged, Duksun & Jang Hwan for the win!!! ?

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They were interviewing DS, not her hubby.

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they were asking deok-sun the questions but it was about her husband.

she says at first that it seems like they're doing a lot of interviews and that she doesn't mind answering their questions about him but her husband himself doesn't even like doing them.

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Shit junghwan made me swayyy! I'm tark team mostly but i root for junghwan before i know taek was into deokseon...
But i think taek is thr husband,knowing he hate interview and work in home...

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im exactly the same as you. i started off as twemJH but once taek started showing his feelings, i jumped ship to taek and now after watching this episode idk anymore. trying to sleep last night was so hard after watching the confession scene and seeing junghwan in the verge of tears. while i was so so so estatic for taek, at the same time i was so so soo depressed for junghwan. sigh this drama is not good for my heart and academics (i have exams in 2 days and here i am :/)

all i want is everyone to be happy somehow. be it by cloning DS or just... idk what arghh this is so frustrating

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I'm glad that I like both guys from day one (kudos to PD for the brilliant casting) because not shipping makes me able to enjoy the story more. The husband were crystal clear in 97 and 94. Chilbong never had a chance (Najung was all about Oppa-ya) so it was cruel for the writer to milk the husband hunt until the very end. In this matter 88 is way better, both guys had fair chances. Can't wait for Deokson POV next week
#teamDeoksun. Thank you for the speedy recap GF.

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Sooooo true! I am glad I am not alone. I love all the characters. #teamDeoksun. I hope whoever she ends up with, makes me think they are good enough for her though. I want to see a true and honest confession. No backtracking, no writing it off as jokes. Mean it! Ala, don't go, don't go on the blind date!

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My mantra for this week: It ain't over 'til it's over.

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Me, too. Though it has left me in tears during Chilbong's time.

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THIS EPISODE GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO FUNCTION ANYMORE.

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Based on last night episode i am pretty sure taek will be the end game...when doksun keep looking at the door and look dissapointed when its not taek for me thats seal the deal...plus when jung hwan confess, her reaction looks like she does not feel anything for him...

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I'very been holding off for a while from trying to guess who the husband is, because, just like with AM1994, it was going to depend on who the girl had feelings for and the show has been very coy about Deok-sun's.

But after this episode, I'm positive that the husband is Taek. Like Chilbong, who would never confess to Na-jung, waiting for the perfect time, Jung-hwa kept putting it off and putting it off. Only he did something even more stupid by pretending it was all a joke! His mouth is his own worst enemy! But it's okay, because I bet that his future wife will find the ring. So he'll have his own fated loveline.

Other than that... Garbage Oppa!!! And Na-jung!!! Now I want to watch AM1994 again! I loved both their relationship and them as individual characters. Actually, I would be happy with just more Na-jung. I loved her character to pieces!

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I was never in for the husband hunt but for the family relationship...but lately the focus is love lines. Dang.

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Can't please everyone. *shrugs*

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Jungpal rocks the vintage car. Oh GOD, he looks so hot. I'm burnt.

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I am in another level of frustration! I stared crying in Taek's birthday scene.. I don't know if my heart could take any possibility next week.. I want JH so bad to be her husband :/

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Omg. I am still rooting for Jung hwan. I will kill myself if the husband is taek . Jung hwan is actually the one with a vulnerable heart but a hard exterior . and taek the exact opposite . but team #junghwan shippers in reply 1997 upon jae also gave a ring right .so there is a chance junghwan could be the husband.

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yes and NJ - Oppa-ya also broke up nearly the end. I'm going to stay positive.

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I'm gonna be flippin' all your tables (mine included) if Jung Hwan ain't the husband!! >:(

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Lol, if Taek ends up being the husband, then its a last minute decision- its obvious they are trying to align Taek and future husband's personality.

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And adult DS once bit husband in the arm when he teases her in one of the first few episodes. I can't see DS do this to Taek. It would be quite obvious that they changed the plot direction if they decide to let Taek be the husband in the end.

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Really? since earlier episode DS always touchy with TK with all the ass grabbing and messing hair (some says it was motherly affection) but it's there also the beach play, while with JH when did they ever have bodily contact?

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Totally agreed. But I don't think it's going to be Taek. I think this is last minute drama/angst needed for the romance to pay off.

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nope. its a result of selective reading by the JH shippers that they ignore the progression of taek and DS's relationship
and write off anything DS-TK as being trolling or TK looking for motherly affection etc.

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thisss so much! Like i dont mind the JHxDS ship at all but it's frustrating that the shippers dont even acknowledge taek at all on the same playing field desipte the copious amount of hints that make it even for both characters??

like why would you ignore him that much when he has as much chance as junghwan D: it makes me sad honestly lol

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Not really. Clues have always be there, people just ignore it because future husband was sassy like JH. JH is also really polite in public, so I don't even think he's really completely like TK.

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Adult actors were not told who the husband was. they were left to just play it as they felt a longtime married couple would interact. :/ so, call it a bad directing decision, but nothing to do with writing or plot twists.

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That confession, it's killing me inside.. aaagh junghwan-ah.

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I watched this RAW last night (I always watch it RAW as soon as it airs) despite my very limited Korean. I was both angry at and sad for Junghwan when he came late to the concert. I rejoiced when he finally confessed and was even impressed that he did so IN FRONT OF Sunwoo and Dongryong, only to be frustrated all over again when he made the others believe it was all a prank. I thought to myself: "That's it. I shouldn't get so worked up because it's just a drama. It isn't real life."

I slept but woke up two hours later and cried my eyes out. OMG how can this drama do this to me? I've never allowed any drama to affect me like this again. The first and only time that happened was when Queen Seondeok ended and I promised never to love a drama and/or any of its characters so much. Now this happens and I don't know how to distract myself.

That said, I'm glad Junghwan admitted that it was all his fault because he wasted all the opportunities he had. By choosing to be an idiot, regardless of how noble he may think he is, he practically just gave up already.

Now everything is up to Deoksun. While Sunwoo and Dongryong may believe the confession was all a prank, Deoksun may not think so. It's a wait-and-see with this production team until the last second.

Also, can somebody tell me if Taek is into mangas or how Junghwan feels about being interviewed?

Arrrgghhh, I don't drink at all but I want to get drunk right now. Help!!!

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I am a Taek-DS fan because I love the way they smile when they are together.

That said, my head tells me husband is JH. This is textbook Answer Me- To try and throw viewers off the scent on the final stretch. It's also textbook for our heroine to end up with the guy she has a bickering relationship with. I think it's a mistake to expect our writer to change this formula.Ugh it makes me so sad to write this but I have to start coming to terms with it.

And what great characters both these boys have been! I feel as though they are my own friends.

Lastly, did anyone notine Jinju telling Taek not to marry celebrity? My prediction is these two may date... Wasn't that an early prediction?

GAH THIS SERIES.

Fin.

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why do people keep bringing Jin Ju in this? that would be way too perverted.

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people have been guessing that he would marry jinju since the earlier episodes because of the fact that taek's character is based off of a legendary baduk player who married someone with exactly or about the same age gap as taek and jinju. it's a bit odd now because they're technically siblings, but no one knew that moosung and sunyoung were hometown friends back then.

and large age gaps in relationship in South Korea isn't that uncommon and it's not really weird. it could be coming off as weird to you because she's young or because we now know that they have become siblings, but it was a pretty smart hypothesis and i was rather surprised when i heard about it. some fans' dedication to researching dramas and their backgrounds amaze me.

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it is still sick to my eyes.

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I think age gap isn't the reason why a Taek-Jinjoo coupling will never fly. Those who are advocating for this loveline must understand that in Korean culture, Taek and Jinjoo are family. Even though they are not blood-related, they are still part of the same household when their parents married. So no, this won't happen.

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oh yes, i agree that it won't happen, especially because they're family now. i simply meant that it was an interesting hypothesis and that before sunyoung and moosung were revealed to have known each other for a long time and before they became a family, one of the main reasons people thought taek and jinju weren't a good idea was because of their age gap. now that we know they're family, of course, the age gap isn't what would be the problem.

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NO. HELL NO. that ship will never sail. that is just disturbing to even think about lol

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yeah, I wonder where people who say that live and is that kind of thing ok in their part of the world? marry your sister, who was a baby when you were 18? not even in a savage tribe

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:)

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If Taek's dad and SW's mom didn't get married then there may be chance for Jinju with Taek, despite the age difference. But now it's just no. They are legally brother and sister now.

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yeah I think it's unlikely. it's not unheard of in american television though... other viewers are probably more familiar with korean culture than me. my gut reaction was not as outraged, lol

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The JJ x TK thing was before Sun Woo's mom and TK's dad got together. Jin Joo calls TK's dad dad... that's just gross. She's their little sister. It was also a gross suggestion, but now it's even more so.

I also thought the theory was JJ was Chilbong's wife.

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I would like to know why people puts so much weight on JH's shoulders than in TK? Did TK confess and I miss it? This might be JH's second "indirect-direct" confession but so far... it's been 4 years or so and TK didn't say a word to DS either. So I'm getting really pissed with people putting JH's character down with this argument. I think it applies to both guys.

And for the record, JH never said it was a "joke", DR asked him for the ring if he wasn't going to confess to anyone and suddenly he did. Then after that pause of 15 seconds in which he's staring at DS, expecting her reaction without getting one... he says to DR that he granted his wish. It is SW and DR who assumed he was joking.

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+1

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i agree that people criticize junghwan for not acting much upon his feelings a lot more than taek. i think it's probably because we've known for certain that he likes her for a bit longer time and we've also gotten to see him hesitate A LOT more than taek.

and ya sunwoo and dongryong have known him for so long, never suspecting him of liking deoksun at all, so listening to the whole confession clearly left them confused. when he said that he fulfilled dongryong's wish, that gave them an opening to assume he wasn't exactly serious about everything he had just said and they probably both believed it was a joke because it was just so unbelievable to them, that he could've possibly liked her without them knowing for so long. it's clear that he didn't say it was a joke. even if it was sort of unnecessary for him to add that last part in, i don't know why people are hating on him for that. it's clearly in line with the character's personality.

i really enjoy this series and all the actors and characters are really lovable so i can understand that people would be really invested in it as well, but i can't really understand why the two ships' fans are seriously insulting the other's character. in the last two episodes, i've found some junghwan-deoksun shippers to be pretty sad. i can understand loving the character but making ridiculous excuses for him or twisting taek's actions around is just so vexing.

and i know taek-deoksun shippers have done it as well, so i mean not to just insult junghwan-deoksun shippers.

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Funny how fans can’t remember it’s not real. A disservice to all the actors doing their job.

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I think because we saw JH act like since this episode 11, while TK hasn't been that bad about. JH is also STILL hesitating (or was) this episode, while TK canceled his match to go run to DS. It's also not like JH was ever open and honest with his feelings. DS needed a Jungpal to human translator to understand what he was saying, which she sadly didn't seem to have. He admits his own faults and what he did wrong, so obviously people will hold him to that. Don't hate the guy, but his suffering is his own doing.

And JH didn't say it was a joke, but he also didn't play it off as really sincere when he said what he did at the end.

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Watching reactions of SW and DR though, I didn't think they thought JH was joking. I think they were trying to save JH's face by pretending to take it as if JH was joking, because DS didn't give any reaction at all. I might be wrong, though.

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I agree. SW and DR just realized how sad and alone JH was all these years because they were rooting for Taek and DS not knowing how hurt JH was. I also noticed that everyone was awkward after the confession. They were joking around but there's some tension and a little awkwardness among them. SW was so affected by it that he was pale and he gulped a few times. Remember, SW was the closest friend of JH. He's probably feeling that he let JH down.

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I just love these recaps especially since subtitled episodes take a few days to come out, BUT that doesn't stop me from watching the raw eps?? Thank you!!
Awww so so sad[me]. Today's episode was a roller coaster ride for me....uh my emotions! I absolutely adore Taek and his child like quality and he never once annoyed me with it, but I'm all rooting for Jung Hwan in this one ..as the husband. For some reason I thought yesterday's episode was sort of a "end" to the Deok Sun- Taek line of this triangle because of how not much really came from the dream sequence or maybe it was just me being impatient and thinking how Jung Hwan now has a chance cuz Taek, was I'd say, beating him in the tally of grand gestures that she actually notices AND the fact that there's only 3 episodes left?
Jung Hwan's inner monologue totally got me today(all the voice overs do really) he blamed it on fate/timing and then corrected himself and blamed his hesitation and lack of courage. That is something I can relate to and I'm glad he figured out that he took too long (I was screaming go the WHOLE time in the theater boy).I was so so so hopeful at the confession because I thought he finally would have the courage.....but nope. He took it back which is just ughhhhh WHY Jung Hwan WHY! **Deok Sun's facial expression confused me in that scene, almost seemed like she wasn't surprised or that she knew something.....
SO I guess we'll see what happens next. ***eyes glaring at Jung Hwan***
Oh!! and Jung Bong and Mi Ok are so cute. They don't fail to put a smile on my face

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Oops Jung Hwang didn't take it back, he made a joke out of it. Which is just as frustrating ??

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Maybe the writer will pull how i met your mother stint? DS maried taek first but he died young then DS marry junghwan after that?? Lol

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noo please writer we love our boys

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Omg, that would make me rage....

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would you do that?

people seem to really really want Taek to die.

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In the end current duk-seona asks his husband to get over his obsession about comic books and I have never seen Taek read anything....hope its JungHwan

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taek reads manhwas
never seen JH read a comic book however

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He does. He read Dragon Ball a lot.

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the one who always reads comic is Jung hwan .. Taek only play Baduk and some challenging arcade game because he always wants to be num.1 . And if Taek is the husband he is very popular so if they're in the Public Area shouldn't be the fans are already swarming them.???
The way how the adult DS and husband bicker it's more like JH. Taek and DS didn't bicker like that.

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JH reading Taek's comic books, in Taek's room.... they are both adorkable nerds. :p

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I'm late, but in ep 2, I remember Duk seon telling the adults that she told Taek to borrow some comic books, or something

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I am slightly eh about Bora. I don´t know if it should be seen as selfishness... or just facing her feelings? I dunno. would anyone feel good about what she said?

I guess the husband game is still very unclear. friends spending most their life together will adopt some of each others manners. I don´t really care... they´ll all be happy either way, I can be reassured now.

but I will not be happy with either ending if is don´t see a cameo by Seo In Guk. I know it was a different channel bromance but... couldn´t they amuse me just this once? I mean, please. Pleaaaaaase.

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amen to that! seo in guk <3 you the OG

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I don't get why she broke up with him if she was going to get back with him so easily. I totally supported her need to break up though, but.... She seems like she just wanted a break and not a break up, but couldn't tell SW that.

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To all be honest though, what is a break without a break up? I never completely get that...it's not like you want to string a person along...

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I guess she is just not smooth with her expressions, but is deep down a person like an emotional volcano. she just can´t stop herself sometimes, good or bad. Even if she knows it will be confusing to the other person, she just erupts? then I would understand. and I guess Sun Woo knows her personality as well.

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omo...this ep made me confused...junghwan ....please confess to deokseon... this ep is so heartbreaking too... i hope junghwan oppa will be together with deokseon.. #teamjunghwan

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okay, i'm fine with DS getting with either taek or JH.

BUT, i have to be honest with myself. my heart says JH. i can't help it. i love both boys equally but i have always been on ship DS x JH since day one.

atm i think the chances of DS' husband being JH is 80% and taek 20%. although this ep has people confused, if anything, it has added to me thinking that JH HAS to be the husband. there has just been too much angst and focus on him (esp. during this ep) for him NOT to be the husband at the end.

it also hurts my heart that JH has actually crushed on DS waaaaay before we even thought he did. there have been many people who thought he started liking her when they were pressed up against the wall but he's actually liked her since ep. 1 (this is showcased in him running to look at her when she was practicing as a picket girl.) oh JH, i adore you but you have GOT to be the most frustrating & hesitant kdrama character i have ever watched. like girlfriday said, i seriously believe he will try his utmost best to take his feelings for DS to the grave.

UNLESS she confesses to him. then, only THEN do i think he'll ever admit his feelings. tbh, i like JH so much but as we come to the end of this drama, i still feel like i don't know him at all. the character i think they've let us seen grow and come to know most is taek. he has gotten some serious character development but alas, my heart & mind still tells me its DS x JH for endgame.

TAEK YOU CAN TOTES COME TO ME THO <3

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Jung-hwan, you hopeless loser!!! It kills me how stupid in love with Deok-sun he is. His confession was so heartfelt, I actually teared up.

God, I was so sure it was Jung-hwan. I mean, story progression-wise, it makes the most sense. But all the little clues seem to point to the husband being Taek. Plus, Jung-hwan's confession really felt like he was letting go of Deok-sun for good. Do I have to jump ship to Taekie now?? DEEP SIGH. At this point, I don't care, I love all of them. I just wish they would tell us who it is so I can prepare my heart. I don't want any of my babies to be heartbroken... I'm tearing up already, lol. At least we know that whatever happens, they'll all adore each other no matter what.

In other news, seeing Taek and Sun-woo's family really warmed my heart. <3 I love how happy they are. So freaking cute.

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