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Bring It On, Ghost: Episode 16 (Final)

It’s time to say goodbye to our intrepid ghost hunters, and for once, I’m not ready! I love these characters, and the quirky little world they live in, and I’m absolutely not prepared to let go. Usually I’m happy to send a drama off and look forward to what’s next, but in the case of Bring It On, Ghost, I feel like I could happily follow the adventures of Bong-pal, Hyun-ji, and the Soondae Soup crew forever.

 
FINAL EPISODE RECAP

Monk Myung-chul banishes the evil spirit from Hye-sung’s body with his runed sword, and Hye-sung slumps to the ground. Myung-chul sees the spirit collecting itself, and he throws himself in front of Bong-pal, yelling to Hyun-ji to find the ritual bracelet — it’s the only thing that will truly kill the demon.

Hyun-ji locates the bracelet, but the spirit strikes Myung-chul and knocks him out. Hyun-ji tosses the bracelet to Bong-pal, who wraps it around his fist like brass knuckles, and turns to face the black mist. It attacks him, and Bong-pal slams his fist with the beads into the mist, and the evil spirit explodes in a shower of sparks.

Bong-pal and Hyun-ji don’t have much time to register their victory, because Myung-chul is badly injured. Bong-pal begs him to wake up, but the monk’s eyes remain closed. But just as Bong-pal dissolves into tears, Myung-chul gasps, “Bong-pal-ah.” He’s alive!

The monk asks for help up, and drags himself over to Hye-sung’s body. Against all odds the man is still alive, and Myung-chul pats his head, saying that he must have gone through a lot.

Regardless of the fact that it was the evil spirit who killed all those people, Hye-sung is arrested, and he sits in the ambulance looking like a lost, scared little boy. He’s loaded into the police car, with Bong-pal and Myung-chul looking on sympathetically.

Bong-pal asks what will happen to Hye-sung, since technically he’s a victim too, but Myung-chul reminds him that to others, Hye-sung is still a murderer. In order to let the demon inside in the first place, he had it in his heart to kill someone. But he was just a little boy!

Bong-pal escorts Hyun-ji home, but despite all of his help, her mother angrily tells Bong-pal that she said she didn’t want him seeing her daughter anymore. She holds him responsible for the danger to Hyun-ji, even when Hyun-ji tells her that Bong-pal wasn’t to blame.

With a look from Bong-pal Hyun-ji lets her father lead her inside, and her mother tells Bong-pal that they’re leaving town in the morning. She says that if he cares for Hyun-ji, he’ll give up on her. Bong-pal just gives her Hyun-ji’s necklace, and respectfully asks that she return it to Hyun-ji for him.

Hye-sung is questioned by Detective Yang about the murder victims, but he doesn’t speak — until a picture of his father is laid in front of him. With tears rolling down his face, he admits to his father’s murder, and the murders of the other three victims.

He’s still crying as he’s led to a cell, and his mother stops in front of him. He has nothing to say to her, and oof, he just looks so vulnerable and scared.

Back at Bong-pal’s place, Myung-chul self-medicates with soju, and Bong-pal makes him something to eat. He tells Myung-chul that Hyun-ji is still leaving tomorrow, and Myung-chul reassures Bong-pal that they won’t forget each other.

Hye-sung’s mother visits him in prison and asks why he confessed to the murders when he’s technically innocent, but Hye-sung says that he’s still guilty. He committed a sin in his mind by wishing his father dead, which allowed the demon in, and he blames himself for those people’s deaths.

He tells his mother not to come see him again and be reminded of such painful memories, but she refuses to agree. She says that she’ll come back every day until he forgives her, even if he won’t see her.

In the morning, Hyun-ji’s family is in the process of moving, and Hyun-ji calls Bong-pal to ask him to understand how her mother is feeling. He says that he already does, and tells her to study hard so that she can come back to college and they can be together again.

Hyun-ji slowly makes her way to the car, hoping that Bong-pal will come to see her off. But he doesn’t show up, and she and her parents pull away. As they leave, Bong-pal steps out from where he’s been hiding, just to get one last glimpse of Hyun-ji before she goes.

We see that she had asked him to come say goodbye, but Bong-pal had admitted that he was afraid he would try to stop her from leaving. He’d told Hyun-ji to go back to her life as soon as possible, and that they can be together if she gets into his university. When that happens, he wants to get her mother’s blessing for them to date.

And so, Hyun-ji slips back into her old life, spending all of her free time studying for the college entrance exams. Bong-pal, Chun-sang, and In-rang are a tight trio now, hanging out often with none of their earlier awkwardness.

Eventually the day of Hyun-ji’s exams comes, and she enters the building as ready as she’ll ever be. Bong-pal has the day of the results marked on his calendar, and he debates calling Hyun-ji that evening to check on her.

Hyun-ji finds a secluded rooftop to check the results, but before she gathers her courage to make the call, she looks up to see a ghost hanging over her head. She refuses to look at him which befuddles the ghost, and he leans in to try to scare her, but just ends up with a face full of Hyun-ji fury.

She gives the ghost a roundhouse kick and sends him slinking away, complaining bitterly that she has to do this today of all days. HAHA, I love this girl.

Hyun-ji makes the call, and when she hears her results, her face falls. She slowly walks home, and calls Bong-pal to apologize that she didn’t get into his school. Bong-pal is disappointed, but he quickly recovers and tells Hyun-ji that it’s okay, and she’ll get in next year.

Hyun-ji is sad because this is Bong-pal’s last year and she wanted to go to school with him, so he sweetly offers to take a semester off. Hyun-ji just laughs, and tells him to just get a job so he can settle down. He asks what he’s supposed to settle down for, and Hyun-ji gets all shy.

Bong-pal pushes for an answer, knowing full well what she means, but she tells him that if he doesn’t know, then he can just live his life alone. Hee. He relents and says that he’ll be living with her four years from now, after she graduates college. Hyun-ji plays coy, but she’s obviously pleased with his plans.

Bong-pal’s original economics teacher is back this year (it’s Shim Hyung-tak again, squee!) and he again assigns the class a group project. But this year, instead of refusing to participate, Bong-pal makes plans to meet with his team the following week.

Chun-sang is visibly upset when he finds Bong-pal on campus, and he drags Bong-pal back to the Soondae Soup club room. Since In-rang and Seo-yeon graduated last year, they’re the only two members left, and the club is in danger of being dissolved by the school. Chun-sang says that Bong-pal should be concerned as the future club president, but Bong-pal is hilariously unperturbed.

In-rang is now running Soondae Soup as an exorcism business (with Grandma’s money, of course), and a potential customer gets mixed up, thinking it’s a restaurant. Heh. Chun-sang works for In-rang handing out flyers, but they’re dangerously low on customers — as in, they haven’t had a single one. In-rang is on a bit of a boss power kick, and he orders Chun-sang to clean the office while he takes a break.

Myung-chul arrives at a large home to perform a cleansing, only to be informed that they were told he had lost his powers, and they’ve hired another shaman. The new shaman puts on a big dramatic show as she supposedly speaks to a ghost on the ceiling, then she spots Myung-chul and demands that he leave.

Myung-chul calls the woman a crook for claiming to be a thousand-year-old virgin shaman, and she rolls her eyes when he says that he’s a powerful monk. The shaman attacks Myung-chul, aiming to rip out what’s left of his hair, ha.

The two end up at the police station (where Detective Yang has been promoted to Chief), bruised and battered, and the shaman smacks Myung-chul in the face when he calls her a crook again. She attacks him again, and Detectives Kim and Yang jump in to pull them apart.

A pair of pretty coeds wheedle Bong-pal into attending their economics majors’ freshman welcoming party, where there is much drinking and revelry. The freshmen all stand to introduce themselves, but Bong-pal is barely listening — that is, until a familiar voice introduces herself as Kim Hyun-ji.

Bong-pal’s head whips around, and there she is, fielding questions from the very interested male students. One asks if she has a boyfriend, and Hyun-ji looks right at Bong-pal and says, “Yes, he’s here.”

Later Bong-pal and Hyun-ji talk alone, and he asks why she didn’t tell him she was coming to his school. She’d planned it all as a surprise, and Bong-pal admits that his statement that it would be easy to wait another year was a big fat lie.

He’s thrilled to hear that Hyun-ji is staying at her uncle’s place, which is pretty close to his apartment. They flirt with each other adorably, vowing to spend every day together, and Hyun-ji reminds Bong-pal that she’s his noona by a year so he has to obey her. HA.

Bong-pal walks Hyun-ji home and drops her off at her uncle’s place, and she runs back to give him a big hug. Bong-pal hugs her back and they both say how happy they are, then he sends her inside.

He gets a call from Myung-chul, and meets him at the police station, where he’s had to be locked up to stop the fighting. He smiles and waves at Bong-pal like he’s not behind bars right now, and Bong-pal bails him out.

On the way home Myung-chul defends himself, saying that there are certain ethics to uphold in his line of work, and that lady shaman was definitely not upholding them. Bong-pal suggests that it might be time for Myung-chul to stop working, since the job is so hard on him, and offers him a place to stay.

He’s already cleared out his spare room, and he asks Myung-chul to move in. He tells Myung-chul that he’s the only family he has left, and Myung-chul gruffly says that Bong-pal sure knows how to make a guy cry. Awww.

In an office building nearby, a woman works late into the night, and she hears a noise under her desk. She looks down to see a ghost screaming up at her, and she flees with the ghost right behind her.

Hyun-ji is invited to a group blind date the next day, even though she has a boyfriend. She knows Bong-pal would be upset, but she’s never been on a blind date before, so she lets the girls talk her into tagging along. Of course, the boys all zero in on Hyun-ji, as pretty as she is.

Bong-pal orders delivery and calls Hyun-ji, but she refuses the call. She texts him, saying that she’s working on some schoolwork with friends, so Bong-pal decides to head home. Hyun-ji has a good time on the blind date, though at times she seems a bit uncomfortable.

In-rang calls Bong-pal looking for Hyun-ji, and sends him a video when he says she’s studying with friends. It’s a video of Hyun-ji playing drinking games, which was filmed and uploaded by one of the boys. Bong-pal snarls at the video, and rushes out to the bar.

He storms in and stands glaring behind Hyun-ji, and when one of the boys asks who he is, he grins and chirps, “I’m her boyfriend!” Oh, she is in so much trouble right now.

She follows behind Bong-pal as he stalks home, explaining that she only wanted to go on a blind date just once. She says that she even told them she has a boyfriend, and that she was just there for the experience. She aims every bit of aegyo she’s got at “Bong-bong,” who snickers, then denies that he smiled.

By the time they reach her uncle’s house, he’s forgiven her, and she gets a text from her mother that she’s in Seoul. Hyun-ji tells Bong-pal to leave before her mom sees him, but instead Bong-pal takes her hand and determinedly knocks on the door.

Her mother is definitely not happy to see Bong-pal on the doorstep, but she clocks their entwined hands and lets him in. She serves tea and asks why he’s bringing Hyun-ji home so late, guessing that he wants to say something to her.

Bong-pal nervously requests that Mom give her blessing for him and Hyun-ji to date, and Mom points out that they’ve already been dating without her permission. Hyun-ji protests that they only just reunited, but her mom shushes her.

She asks Bong-pal if he’s seriously asking her permission, and if he’ll never see Hyun-ji again if she doesn’t give it. She says that she’s never liked the way he just appeared when Hyun-ji woke from her coma, so she’s not sure she can trust him. Bong-pal slumps in defeat, and says that he understands.

He leaves the house, and inside, Hyun-ji bounces with excitement — Mom gave her blessing! She admits that Bong-pal seems like a decent guy, and Hyun-ji goes on and on about how sweet and smart he is. Outside on the sidewalk, Bong-pal does a little fist-pump of joy, hee.

Hye-sung’s mother is still visiting him in prison, and this time he gives her a small jeweled pin that he made. His hesitant gesture makes her cry, and Hye-sung’s chin wobbles to see his mother so emotional. She apologizes for not coming to see him more often, and he says that he doesn’t resent anyone anymore. She takes his hand, and Hye-sung meets her eyes and smiles for the first time.

Myung-chul sends Bong-pal off to school and goes to empty the trash, where he runs into the head of the Residents’ Committee again. He defensively says that he’s here to throw stuff away, not pick through the garbage, and she huffs that she didn’t say anything. She starts to swan off but trips on a bottle, and Myung-chul gallantly catches her before she falls.

He gazes deeply into her eyes, then says that she has the face of a lucky person. Her cheeks go all pink, and Myung-chul whirls her back to her feet and leaves her with a somewhat-swoony wink.

Hyun-ji accidentally collides with a woman as she’s walking down the street, and the woman looks just like her ghost unni, Kyung-ja! Hyun-ji finds her familiar, but they’re interrupted by her very handsome boyfriend (who calls her Se-ri), and she berates him for being so late.

They’re joined by a second good-looking man who begs for Se-ri’s forgiveness, and she calls him clingy and reminds him that it’s over between them. The first boyfriend gets aggressive with the second boyfriend, and Se-ri just confidently continues on her way. I love that her living counterpart is such a femme fatale.

Bong-pal runs into Seo-yeon, and Hyun-ji sees them talking and wastes no time informing Seo-yeon that she’s “Oppa’s” girlfriend. She drops the smile once Seo-yeon leaves, and Bong-pal cutely asks her to call him oppa again. Hyun-ji just tells him to get to class, but she calls after him, calling him oppa just to make him happy.

As Hyun-ji eats lunch by herself, she overhears a girl complaining about all the pork on the menu. Hyun-ji mutters that the pork tastes better with kimchi stew, and suddenly a strange guy swoops down beside her to agree that the girl is insulting the food. HAHA, it’s Yoon Doo-joon as Gu Dae-young, and he launches into his trademark in-depth analysis of the cafeteria food (and now I’m hungry).

He introduces himself to Hyun-ji and asks if she’s joined any clubs yet, then invites her to join his club. Of course, the club called Let’s Eat, and their whole purpose is to eat and appreciate food together.

He’s interrupted by a dry voice from behind him, and he jumps up to see Chun-sang, who reminds him that he’s not allowed to do this in the cafeteria anymore. PFFT. He sends the chastened Dae-young away, and tells Hyun-ji not to trust such smooth talkers.

Hyun-ji asks the question I’ve been wondering about myself: If In-rang graduated, then why is Chun-sang still in school? Chun-sang hisses that it’s a secret, and asks her to talk with him after lunch.

HAHA, he and In-rang give Hyun-ji the same Soondae Soup presentation that they gave Bong-pal, who joins them and sighs that they’re at it again. This time they’re planning global domination, but Bong-pal and Hyun-ji sneak out before they’re finished.

The boys follow them out, and Hyun-ji says that she’s not planning to join any school clubs. Chun-sang admits that without Bong-pal, they haven’t been able to get any exorcism jobs, and In-rang begs them to help or his grandma will break Chun-sang’s limbs.

Bong-pal and Hyun-ji both say that they don’t really need the money, so Chun-sang changes tacks and plays to their sense of compassion for the poor suffering people. He even lays Spiderman’s famous line on them: With great power comes great responsibility.

Right on cue, In-rang gets a call about a ghost, and the boys bounce like little puppies begging Bong-pal and Hyun-ji to help. They decline again, but Hyun-ji soon reconsiders, saying that they could turn their ability to see ghosts into a way to help them. She says that they’re lost and trying to move on, and Bong-pal remembers all the ghosts that they helped together.

That night over dinner, he asks Myung-chul why he performs exorcisms when it’s hard, and doesn’t pay much. Myung-chul says that helping ghosts get over their grudges, and people get over their fears, is like helping the lost find their way home.

He says that he was against Bong-pal performing exorcisms because he was filled with resentment. With that attitude, it was impossible for him to see the good that exorcism does. Myung-chul says that not all ghost are bad, and asks if Bong-pal can bring himself to feel compassion for them. He says that if Bong-pal can lead the dead to peace, then it’s not a curse, but a gift.

And so the Soondae Soup crew head out to fight the ghost, all suited up and back in business. The enter the office building and Hyun-ji asks Bong-pal what changed his mind, and he says that he wants to know the reason they can see ghosts.

They find the ghost, and as she screams furiously at them, Bong-pal and Hyun-ji yell in unison: “Bring it on, ghost!

COMMENTS

A great ending to a great show — I loved seeing everyone move on and find their purpose in life, even if there are a few things I would still have liked to see. I’m surprised that Hyun-ji never did remember her years as a ghost, but there’s a certain satisfaction in the fact that she fell in love with Bong-pal anyway, and ended up right where she belonged, fighting ghosts with the Soondae Soup crew. I particularly enjoyed Kyung-ja/Se-ri’s appearance, and that we got to see that in a way, she’s living the life she always wanted, showered with attention by handsome men.

Okay, so I’m a teeny bit disappointed that Myung-chul wasn’t possessed after all, and that Bong-pal didn’t have to fight him. The final fight was over so quickly! That would have been an amazing struggle for Bong-pal, and made his final banishment of the demon that much more meaningful. He got off pretty easy, only having to throw one final punch, when it was Myung-chul who did all the spiritual fighting against the demon. After all that talk about Myung-chul losing his powers, and Bong-pal inheriting great powers from his mother, I wish Bong-pal had had a chance to really flex his psychic as well as his physical muscles. But when I think about it, Bong-pal has always been a man who fights ghosts with his fist, so it makes sense character-wise for him to be the one to kill the evil spirit with one mighty blow. Not to mention that Myung-chul’s putting his life on the line showed Bong-pal that he still has family who love him, even if they aren’t blood related. So it may not have gone how I would have written it, but it was still an ending that fit Bong-pal’s character arc well.

Before the show began, my biggest concern was regarding the level of acting performance we might be treated to, particularly with the match of Kim So-hyun and Taecyeon. I had every faith that Kim So-hyun would deliver her usual stellar characterization, and I was not let down. I believed her as a teenage ghost, and I believed her just as much as a 24-year-old young lady. The subtle shift she made from flighty to mature was deft and assured, never losing the core of who Hyun-ji was as a person, and I bought every second of her performance.

I was more worried about Taecyeon’s ability to keep up, because I’ve seen him in several dramas and while I do think he always turns in passable performances, the best thing I could ever say about him was that he’s awfully handsome. And the same holds true now, but something has changed, and his performance as Bong-pal was miles above anything I’ve seen him accomplish before. Sometimes the connection between actor and character just works, and it elevates both to a level that wouldn’t have been possible if another actor had tackled the role, and I think that’s what happened here. Taecyeon was able to tap into something that helped him become Bong-pal, and I’m thrilled that he’ll be able to go to his army duty on such a high career note. I can’t wait to see what he tackles when he returns.

The truly breakout performance, in my mind, was Kwon Yul in the role of Hye-sung/the demon spirit. He’s always just seemed bland to me in his previous roles, though to be fair, that could be attributed to the roles themselves being sort of milquetoast characters in the first place. But here he got to really stretch himself, and something about his angelic face with those dead, menacing eyes just gave me shivers every single time he was onscreen. I watch a lot of television (a lot), and it’s not easy to really, genuinely scare me, but Hye-sung managed to do it several times during the run of the show. Definitely one of the most frightening antagonists I’ve seen to date. And then the way he completely changed gears at the end, and seemed so remorseful and ashamed, he just twisted my heart in the best way possible. A truly impressive performance.

One of the things I appreciated most about this drama is how it used all of the drama tropes we’ve seen a million times, yet it wove them into the narrative in a way that made sense within the story. For example, Hyun-ji was hit by a Car of Doom, but instead of a random occurrence, it was a premeditated act by someone who was actually trying to kill her, with the aftermath framing the rest of the story’s direction. She woke with amnesia, but in this case it’s a known, expected side effect of being in a coma for so long. Bong-pal nearly succumbed to Noble Idiocy, but Hyun-ji put a stop to that right quick. Even their forced separation was built into the plot seamlessly — it made sense that her family would go home once she got better. What makes this show stand out wasn’t any deviation from the standard drama formula, but the fact that it made that formula feel fresh and new, and gave all of those tropes a believable purpose for existing in Bong-pal and Hyun-ji’s world.

Bring It On, Ghost is undoubtedly one of the big surprises of the year, as it quickly proved that it was more than just the usual frothy summer rom-com. Excellent characterization, dedicated and well-planned storytelling, and fantastic special effects (not to mention all the incredible cameos!) came together perfectly to deliver a drama that made me cringe in fear, laugh out loud, and even cry every now and then. It never became predictable and continued to surprise me week after week, and even managed to end with an epic all-out battle worthy of the intense buildup. tvN is making their mark as a provider of great television, and all I can say is, count me in for the long haul.

 
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This was such a fun drama, I loved each characters. I love Inrang and hyunji's interactions and his puppy love her lol. And I'm glad that TVN game them a reward vacation, they deserve it<3

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I will definitely miss our scooby gang!

A refreshing finale that tied up all loose ends.

The actors seemed that they had fun making this show and everyone's performance for the finale was really good.

Thanks, Lollypip!

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Why no kiss?! Whhyyyyy?????
you haven't seen the girl for two years, was it? It'll take only a second, just one kiss for the finale. Argh.
And as to why she did not even remember anything from her ghost days with Bong Pal is just a shame, not really like retain them if she ever did remember but maybe just flashes of their great moments would suffice.
'really love that ghost unnie made a comeback, a reincarnation of sorts, as a femme fatale nonetheless,haha.
I think Kwon Yul managed to steal the show in his own way coz we got the chills when he was bad and possessed but not really innocent when his gravest sin was pushing his father to his death, he only needed a little coaxing. Then as the repentant son, I think we are more sympathetic to his character rather than condemning. Finally, Kwon Yul and his mighty handheld electric fan -came,saw and conquered.
With Doo Joon's cameo, I guess Let's Eat 3 is in the works, well, bring it on!
I've only seen TaecYeon in Dream High and I thought he was ok there, cute but I wasn't really paying much attention. I ditched it when Kim Soo Hyun went deaf. I didn't watch any of his other dramas so I didn't even find him lacking as an actor but apparently he is not that good, he even said so himself. But here, I didn't find him lacking, he did his best and I really liked his crying scene here, still so manly. I'm really gonna miss Taecyeon. He still got some concerts with 2PM and a comeback sometime this month then off to the army. If I have the means, I'd really go to Japan to watch the 2PM concert just to see him. For now, I'm just stalking him on Twitter.
Kim So Hyun, girl, you have a bright, bright future ahead, just please don't let them touch your face anymore. You are pretty enough. I still hope someday that you'll make a drama with Sung Jae.

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What do you mean by don't let them touch your face anymore,you're pretty enough? Are you saying she has gone under the knife?

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Yes, as they all do. Deny it as they will. You can compare the before and after photos but it was done really good and done when she was still young, it looks natural now. You can't even tell. But this is part of the job.

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I'm not trying to say she hasn't done anything 100% or that she won't or that there's even something wrong with it, but I'm pretty sure they can't get plastic surgery until a certain age...and she barely turned 17 (18kage).
Also, people's facial features mature as they age and I'm not too sure from the pictures I've seen that are the plastic surgery kind of changes...maybe you can point out specifics?

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I'm pretty sure she and kim yoo jung are still natural, they are very young to have surgery. Plus, their faces are still changing in their teenage years. Dont be so jaded.

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kim so hyun has been acting since she was little her face hasnt changed, except the fact that it has matured. so unless she had surgery before even her teens its 100% not true. not every pretty person has done surgery some people are just born with good genes.

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@BlueCat: I've been a fan of Kim Sohyun for 4 years and I have to disagree with you. If you say that she has gone under the knife, at least show some evidences. Since her debut, she has been in several dramas and CFs, and Knet will not let her alone if they see even a smallest change in her face (if not for her puberty..). I think she got braces but it's not even cosmetic surgery so...

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The pre-show articles here on Dramabeans said he was going to have his eyes REMOVED!

That seems totally unnecessary.

Why try to hard to save money in advance when you can just advertise that said eyes can let you see Kim So-hyun when nobody else can -- then sell them for a bleeping fortune on Ebay.

Yes, Ebay has a no-body-parts policy, but just market them as Pretty-Ghost-Seeing-Vision-Enhancers.

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I have to say I didn't like this final episode - too choppy, and a bit boring. It tied up all ends (and I was so glad to see our virgin ghost alive and kicking though don't quite know how that happened) but it all felt like an afterthought to the main storytelling and plotline, like they were just filling in the time a bit. I don't quite understand why they chose this route - there were so many alternate choices they could have made that could have captured the rest of the drama up to this point. Too bad, because this is in my top three dramas this year, and I am just going to ignore this last episode except it told me they were all well and happy at the end.

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Too much wrap-up. Not enough ghost. At least the wrap-up didn't take two whole episodes, unlike one of my otherwise favorite shows. *cough*Master's Sun*cough*

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So true about Master's Sun, another fave of mine! Yeah, too much wrap up in this along predictable and prolonged lines. Sigh. I need to just take things for what they. This was a charming, sometimes slightly scary, ride with a great lead couple, fun side characters, a well-paced plot (until the last episode), and adorable romance. I just need to appreciate that, I guess, and not have hoped for a more guns ablazin finale.

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I totally agreee! I will miss this show so much, i would have been happy for a continuous story just follow them around campus. Heeehee.

I love the characters, so simple, but makes sense. Yes, I also love how HyunJi didnt remember her ghost past but fell so much in love with BongPal still. And BongPal was okay with that, moving forward, dscovering new things... New ghostly things with her, by his side.

I feel sad Taecyon is leaving nxt year, but i really did feel his improvement here! ?????? post army projects are always something to look forward to and i will miss him very much because of this show. ?

I love SoHyun as always!!! ???

I will miss In Rang and Cheun Sang tandem! I really wish i could have their instagram mini movie as my ring tone. Ahahahah

I will miss you show!!

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i agree the final fight was so short. it could have been contained in the last episode if they hadn't wanted to add all the cute at the end...not to say the cute wasn't enjoyable.

i loved seeing dae young!!! yee!!! it made my night and made me quite hungry as well.

not a fan of taec outside of 2pm but was pleasantly surprised. i had not expected to enjoy the drama, but i did. i'm glad i stuck through it.

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i swear i have nerd crushes on the duo. they could be annoying but they really grew on me. it was soooo sad to see cheun sang all alone in college without in rang.

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LollyPip, thanks so much for the recaps! They were so much fun to read.

I watched Gu Daeyoung's part -- how could Hyunji not fall for him? and join his club? The club is an EATING club for goodness sake, how can you not join? This was the only glaring plot hole, as far as I could tell. ?

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Totally agreed with you on 'I watched Gu Daeyoung’s part — how could Hyunji not fall for him? and join his club? The club is an EATING club for goodness sake, how can you not join? This was the only glaring plot hole, as far as I could tell.'

How could she not fall for Gu Daeyoung? I love his smooth talk!!

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Thanks Lollypip!
Always look forward to your recaps! I agree with almost everything.
So much feels!!! Will write more later after I've collected all my thoughts!

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Yay ! Someone finally told the food-nazi to shut up! Only thing worse than hearing him talk about food was hearing him talk about insurance. I put up with him in the first Let's Eat, but later when I started Let's Eat 2 I dropped it when he started his insurance routine on the old lady.

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Absolutely LOVED this drama from start to finish. It got everything right and the entire show was so satisfying that it has marched (unbelievably!) into my top ten favorite dramas. Out of 200 watched, that is really saying something! The comedic duo was my favorite comedy of any drama EVER. Well done, Ghost, simply, perfectly well done!

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Very nice ending by taking all characters into account and ending them well (even the ghost girlfriend!). Love the drama.

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Thank God the monk lives ! Thanks LollyPip for the recaps. :)

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Thanks for the recap! I liked it but felt something was missing.. I cant explain what it was.. Maybe I expected more of a fight with the evil spirit?? It was after Bongpal so i thought theyll make the fight a little longer. Aside feom that, I felt pressed when poor Hyesung was pretty much made to pay for what the spirit did because he let it in.. like really? then Bongpal let it in too or was it only because of his power? Kind off of a plot hole to me. Him 'confessing' was quite sad... Good thing his mom would be by his side

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Last two eps were nothing special, but whatever. I think it peaked in quality around the time of their separation.

Overall a pretty good show. The storyline very much played second fiddle to the romance, but that's fine because it developed into something surprisingly poignant in the mid-latter eps, esp for its superficially "cute" beginning. I'd also give props to the MC's chemistry, those cute intros, the OST, and the professor (who easily takes best actor imo). Something about this show just kept bringing me back, and if it can do that then it has succeeded.

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I hate when shows deliberately misdirect to screw with viewers ie. Hyunji looking disappointed after supposedly hearing news that she didn't get into school when she really did and was just saying that to mess with Bong Pal. That little moment aside, I enjoyed the finale, though I did think it cut back on the final fight in order to add a lot of cute wrap up. Hoping there is a season 2 where they try to find out why they can see ghosts.

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WHAT DO I DO? I CAN'T LET IT GO YET!!!

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I feel you girl! I myself couldn't even move on from stalking every IG posts from different fans all around the world. I even turned on twitter notifications from both their accounts. I just can't move on !!!!! whhhhhhyyyyyy does it have to end. nevertheless, i love the ending, thing is, why didn't they gave us one last kisseu for pete's sake! lmao :D i really hope they get to work together in the future though! I ship them sooooo dayum hard!

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Thank you for recapping such a wonderful story! Much of the feedback from Lollypip resonate mine! Much love for this show, definitely miss this whole bunch and cast!
Let us all hope TVN continue to share beautiful stories, fighting! ♡♡♡

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I did not expect to fall in love with this drama as much as I have, and I don't regret doing so! I may have hoped for something else during this final episode but in no way does it take away from how much I enjoyed the drama as a whole.

I have stuck to reading recaps for the past couple of years but Bring It On, Ghost pulled me in so much that I was finding myself anticipating for the next episode as soon as I finished watching the Tuesday one, watching raws the moment they're up on Monday, re-watching when subs are out, and then reading recaps to make sure I didn't miss anything. With that, thanks to LollyPip for the recaps - I have enjoyed every single one!

It might take me some time to get over the fact that there is no new episode to look forward to come Monday, but in the meantime, I am so happy to have 16 precious episodes that I can marathon again and again in the future.

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Agreed 100%... First show in years that made me search for raws as soon as episode finished airing. I even bought DramaFever premium membership just for this show. Regardless of all the plotholes, the fact that a show made me do all that shows it was a success. Great show

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"his performance as Bong-pal was miles above anything I’ve seen him accomplish before"

I agree 100%

This was a great show and one not to be missed.
Every episode was fun.

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+1 totally agree. Taecyeon was great, and every ep was enjoyable. I think I enjoyed even more than Oh my ghostess.
Thanks for recaps!

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All i can say is...to the cast & crew, congratulations and thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. A job well done indeed. Not a perfect drama but good enough to be stamped as one of the better dramas this year.

Hope every one of them enjoy their jeju vacation..and don't forget to take lots of pictures... especially of our Soondae Soup crew!

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This was a great, funny, quirky show I am sad that has to end! The final episode was pretty good to me. I like wrap-ups. I do wish the fight scene was a little longer but overall, the ending was definitely fitting for the show. It wasn't all a neat little bow but it works for me!

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I really enjoyed this show, even though Kwon Yul was super scary and practically made me hate him he was so menacing. On the cute side, Kim So Hyun is so super adorable everyone would want to have her as a sidekick and then later co-worker. I swear when she smiles she can light up a room :)

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Have yet to watch the final 2 eps, but don't think it'll change my opinion of BIOG too much.

Overall, BIOG has been a fun, entertaining watch - it's one of the few romcoms which does well w/ both the rom (how the relationship btwn Hyun-ji and Bong-pal develops over time is well done) and the com (the bickering btwn the 2 leads, as well as the humor from the "Korean Abbot & Costello" - albeit, sometimes a bit too much and over the top).

Being a supernatural/ghost romcom, comparison to OMG and "Master's Sun" is only natural.

Would have a hard time choosing btwn PBY's portrayal as the chef's assistant possessed by KSG's ghost character and KSH's portrayal of Hyun-ji (KSG and GHJ were also great in their respective roles).

Always knew that KSH was talented, but this is the 1st time I've seen her play the lead (and not just the child version of a character) and like a no. of other actresses her age, supremely talented at depicting emotion (and also so winsome w/o being cloying).

Overall, think the entertainment factor btwn BIOG and OMG is pretty even, tho will give OMG a slight lead in writing due to BIOG writer resorting to the "easy path" of K-drama writing too much down the stretch (more on that later).

But the writing in BIOG is superior to that of MS; BIOG had the overall better episodic ghost stories and the underlying story, despite its flaws is better as well.

MS, like so many Hong dramas, does a good job w/ one lead character (in this case, GHJ's), but the episodic ghost stories were hit and miss and the underlying story (the whole twins revenge thing) was laughably bad.

Despite all the outcry over Taec's casting, think he did a pretty decent job overall - in large part due to KSH carrying the load when it came to emotional scenes, not to mention also leading the way when it came to humor (Taec playing the role of then"straight-man").

This dynamic reminded me of "My Princess" where KTH also carried the load when it came to emotional scenes and humorous moments, whereas SSH was basically playing it "straight" (but w/ a bit more natural charm than Taec).

Speaking of SSH, I did get flashbacks of SSH's empty-looking stare from "Dr. Jin" when Taec had to stare intently at KSH (such as when he was holding her upon Hyun-ji fainting).

So while a pretty entertaining and satisfying watch for the most part (KSH's performance probably plays a major part), my level of frustration w/ the writer started to rise in the last few eps due to taking too many "shortcuts" where things start to get increasingly unbelievable (it's one thing to set up a world w/ ghosts and evil spirits, don't ruin it by injecting things which don't make much sense).

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It's bad enough that Hye-sung/evil spirit can't depose of bodies properly - making it so easy for them discovered

OK, the 1st one I can let pass, but making the same mistake again and compounding it by using the exact same kill method (esp. when the coppers have been sniffing around)?

And what's w/ keeping Hyun-ji's school ID where it was easy to be discovered by any snooper? Heck, why even keep it at all (ended up burning it eventually?).

If finding out where Hyun-ji had the "weapon" - why potentially kill her by running her over w/ a car (if she had died, would never had been able to find out if she didn't have it on her); why not just kidnap her like he does later?

And why not just kill Myung-chul (who could spill the beans, but inexplicably hadn't done so) outside the funeral parlor?

Not exactly a smart cookie as evil spirits go.

Also, how the heck did Hye-sung find Hyun-ji? Let's say that HS caught up to BP's father at the temple and got him to spill the beans about giving the weapon to a girl.

How would HS be able to find HJ (didn't seem he even got a good look at her) unless the Temple had some sort of guest-book.

And then there's the 7-8 hour long "lunch" at the hospital.

Sure, BP prepared a lot of food, but that lunch lasted from mid-day to after it got dark (which, during summertime occurs late) - HJ's mom who had been hovering over her would have had a fit over her "missing" daughter.

Yeah, it was to set up the whole doctor ghost thing, as was the dark hospital hallway, but these non-sensical details take away from the believability of the story that the presence of ghosts/evil spirits don't do.

But the worst is Hye-sung becoming Hyun-ji's psychological therapist.

He's a VET!!!

Really, was there such a need for HS to be around HJ so much? After all, all HS had to do was wait until HJ conveniently walked past his vet clinic (there's that whole K-drama overuse of coincidental meetings, not to mention running or walking when would have taken a cab).

Also, the Monk blabbers everything he knows to HS and yet, keeps it from the 2 who need to know it the most (evidently, it wasn't that important to keep it from BP as he told BP easily enough).

Just hope the last 2 eps adequately explain why BP was so estranged from his father (what also didn't ring true, was BP ignoring HJ's calls - yeah, he was in mourning, but what if HJ had been in trouble?).

The writer should have spent more time on the post coma relationship - a bit too quick for HJ going from "who is this weirdo" to basically stalking BP.

In-rang's crush on ghost/soul HJ was cute.

The Seo-yeon character was kind of a waste - basically was given no personality of her own and the whole having a crush on her professor trope - ughh.

Hopefully, the SIG cameo will be better than SHJ's.

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Lol, thanks for compiling a list of all the things I also found questionable throughout the series, especially the very long hospital lunch and why the vet would half kill both hyun ji and bong pals dad before asking them questions. If I don't like a drama that much, these things really bug me, but here, i just brush them off and look forward to more cute. Makes me feel better sometimes to list my grievances though so I understand your post.

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Nice list! The vet giving psychotherapy - what the hell was that? And the mom didn't even question it.

And we never do find out why Bong Pal and his dad were estranged, unless I missed it somehow. Presumably they continued the relationship for many years after the mom died, and then a few years back BP stopped opening letters or returning calls. Why make this such an obvious plot point if youre not going to follow through?

I really don't understand these choices, particularly when there's a quick fix. For instance, rehab therapy using dogs is an actual thing. They could have explained things with a few sentences that way, instead a vet becomes her psychotherapist. Huh? A sentence or two about BP's falling out with dad is all that would take too. This makes me wonder about the editing process. Maybe scenes were cut to allow for the cameos?

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Agree with the others, great job on the list of issues with the plot.

I would also add a couple of others.

Why is the demon obsessed with the item? Why doesn't he just possess Bong Pal and then go after everyone else who knows about it? It seems almost like a McGuffin here.

Another issue is why does he take Hyun Ji to Bong Pal's father's wake? Why not just kidnap her then since he already has her in his car?

Evil spirit was actually pretty dumb.

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At first, I was wary, but by the last episode, I was determined to watch the episode NOW even though my internet was being an idiot that hour.

TaecYeon should only take on mainly goofy characters from now on. It suits him. A lot.

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"What makes this show stand out wasn’t any deviation from the standard drama formula, but the fact that it made that formula feel fresh and new, and gave all of those tropes a believable purpose for existing in Bong-pal and Hyun-ji’s world."

EXACTLY! that's what I admire about this drama.

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Completely agree with you, Lollypip. I've been a Taecyeon fan since his idol days, so I set my expectations low on him and the entire drama tbh. I completely underestimated its potential but I'm glad to be proven wrong each episode.

This last episode was just a sweet wrap-up to everything. Actually, I was quite relieved that all the tension and suspense were packed last episode, so that we could spend a longer period of normalcy for everyone. We get to see them in their natural state and see their relationship grow without the paranormal drama.

Also, that was one nice Let's x Let's crossover! So funny that a cameo with such short screentime had soooo many lines!

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@Lollypip...Small minor detail but.....Did Hyunji's mom ever give her the back necklace?
Anyone else notice that? It kind of bothered me.:/

(I suppose on the other hand they couldn't have him give it back to her like Master's Sun Ending.....but still anyone know?)

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*...give her the necklace back?

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I was wondering the same thing!! I wanted to see her wear it at the freshman intro or in the playground scene after... but nope. Where is the necklace, mom???

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Even I was happy with the last episode. It was kind of slow compared to the other episodes, but that was ok coz it had a lingering feel to it like the show was not ready to let go of us the way we were not ready to let go of it. It gave me closure, that all the characters I had come to love were living in their world happily and the sundae soup club starting ghostbusting again is a great bonus. But, I felt sad for the professor, he was finally free of the evil spirit and could start living life the way he wants but then he had to go to jail. But atleast he got his mother's love again.

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And thanks LollyPip for your super fast recaps! I would start reading your recaps the minute I finish watching an episode and I have always loved your insights and comments.

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i liked the show initially, but it did bore me eventually by the third or fourth week. kim so-hyun was unfailingly adorable though. and taecyeon was not as awful as i'd thought—but kim so-hyun still deserves a better co-star next time.

hands down my favorite part of this finale was yoon doo-joon's cameo! while i didn't like let's eat season 1, season 2 was fantastic. i'm glad it was a fairly lengthy one too. i wish he could have met up with hyun-ji's unni ghost (now a living human). didn't she drool over gu dae-young in season 1 of let's eat? haha

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Thanks for recapping, LollyPip!!

This one definitely stood out above its initial promise, and carried everything very nicely - good and evil, tropes and cameos. All hail, the Soondae Soup Club!!

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I'm gonna miss the whole Soondae Soup Club!

Great job, Show and everyone!!!

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Chun sang...first time i saw him in oh my ghost, park bu young, then please come back mister, then this drama, then in on going drama W....
I think resently I see him too often...????

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aww the ending <33 gonna miss the entire crew. They did a good job ! bye bye bong pal bye bye hyunji ~ and not to forget seondae guk club lol they're so cute. poor hye sung will lastly able to receive more love from his mom. and the monk hahaha get married pls <333

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i love this drama. its amazing.

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so cute when she do the aegyo move to Bong Pal

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That ending was so beautiful, I am so thankful.
Bong al and Hyun Ji are happy together and the professor is also happy.

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At least they gave it a happy ending, amazing job Sohyun as always <3 ! It's great that they got together in the end, but am I the only one who is really annoyed that Hyun Ji doesn't regain her memories? Like what's even the point.

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Time to say our goodbyes once again, why do the weeks have to bypass so quickly. I have loved every episode of it, not one had me disappointed.
My only wish now is for Bong Pal and Hyun Ji to date in real life, despite the age gap-unlikely this will happen, but a girl can wish <3

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why do i always have a stupid smile on my face whenever bonpal and hyunji are together. why are they so darn adorable!! I am going to miss this drama so much TT

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we will miss you.
my love bong pal and hyun ji <3
I have really enjoyed this drama. thank you~
bye bye..
annyeong~
^_^

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This was seriously such an amazing drama and it's one where I'm not dissatisfied with the ending. I've watched many dramas over the years and I must say this will be one of the few where I'll actually remember what it's about cos it was so good!

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i love this drama sooo much this is one of the best drama i've watched... i seriously love Bong Pal and Hyun Ji u guys are adorable and look cute together<3 since this is the last ep i have to say bye to this drama :( congra to actors i wont forget this drama

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you want to know why only you both see ghosts right??

simple, because you are the main characters of this drama :P:P

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This was so good. I seriously loved the story a lot as well as all the characters, Ju Hye Sung included. I kept tearing up whenever he came on screen because I just felt so bad for him, like Bong Pal said, he was technically a victim the whole time. I'm just really glad he put all that resentment aside and started mending his relationship with his mom.

Cheon Sang and In Rang were hands down my favorite part of this drama. The friendship they portrayed is basically #goals. The amount they made me laugh is crazy tbh. <3

Bong Pal and Hyun Ji are absolutely adorable and I'm so glad they got their happily ever after. What I really liked was that they made the whole 'seeing ghosts' thing meaningful. I liked that both Bong Pal and Hyun Ji are going to use the 'gift' they have to help the people who are lost, find their way.

AND OMG GOO DAE YOUNG! I missed him so much. ;w; That scene made me want to watch both of the Let's Eats all over again~ <3

All in all, I loved it. This was seriously really good.

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This is one of my favorite! Sigh had to say goodbye to this drama.. Am gonna be missing these two super actor/actress..

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Cute ending!! But I still can't move on with this drama. Such a short drama :( I'm gonna miss all these actors <3

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Im so inlove with every character! This was great and fun to watch!
And am I weird? I find In Rang really attractive LOL. Am I alone?

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not at all! i fell for the nerdy Il Rang too ! lol he was so fun to watch! great acting from all the cast. i will surely miss Taecyon and So hyun! I can't imagine them being paired with another celebrity. lol (i know i sound so selfish! can't help it!)

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Im hoping for Season 2!! PLEASE MAKE IT POSSIBLE. IM GONNA MISS THE DUMB AND DUMBER T.T

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Good ending...Alhough hyun ji didn't remember when she is a ghost

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