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Radiant Office: Episode 16 (Final)

by LollyPip

It’s time to say goodbye to Hauline and its cast of quirky, realistic characters. Ho-won, Ki-taek, and Kang-ho have learned a lot in their time there, and though the lessons haven’t always been fun, all three of them have grown and matured since they first met in the emergency room. From their lowest moments to their highest, these three friends have stuck together through thick and thin, and no matter where their lives take them next, we’ll always remember them for their quest to be the very best versions of themselves.

 
FINAL EPISODE RECAP

Sick of Hyun’s manipulations, Woo-jin slams his resignation onto Hyun’s desk. Hyun mutters that he’s been too lenient, and Woo-jin tells him that his mindset is terrible. He calls out how Hyun toys with people, saying that he treats the company like his own personal playground.

He tells Hyun to stop relying on his father’s money and abusing his power, and adds that he has to actually listen to his employees. Manager Park breaks in to say that Hyun is doing his best for the company, but that’s not good enough for Woo-jin. He asks if the company’s future is more important than the futures of the employees who contribute to its success.

Hyun accuses Woo-jin of making decisions for emotional reasons and trying to protect his team, but Woo-jin points out that he just quit, so the loss of his salary should cover the salaries of the two employees Hyun would have fired. Hyun threatens to blackball Woo-jin if he does this.

But Woo-jin makes it clear that he’s not afraid of a small man who doesn’t use his advantages for positive results. He tells Hyun one last time to be mindful that his decisions affect thousands of employees and their families, then he walks out.

Gu-dong is upset that Woo-jin didn’t tell him in advance of his plan to quit, but Woo-jin says that he would only have tried to stop him. He adds that he and Hyun would have butted heads soon anyway, but he denies that he’s running away. He says that this is the best thing he could do under the circumstance.

Manager Park bursts into Woo-jin’s office, not to criticize him, but to say that Woo-jin’s speech in there was touching. It’s obvious that Manager Park admires Woo-jin’s ability to stick to his principles, and Gu-dong jokes that Woo-jin should start his own fan club. Woo-jin teasingly asks if Gu-dong would be president, but Gu-dong has a better person in mind… Ho-won.

Woo-jin goes out for coffee with Suk-kyung and guesses that she’ll probably do all of Hyun’s dirty work from now on. He warns her not to trust Hyun, but she argues that corporations always treat people as tools. That may be true, but Woo-jin thinks that she’s the one seeing herself as nothing more than a tool.

He says that Suk-kyung is the most competent, dedicated person he’s ever worked beside. She replies sadly that that’s not always what matters, but Woo-jin counters that it’s all that matters. He tells Suk-kyung that her skills are wasted on Hyun and advises her to trust in herself.

At lunch, Yong-jae tells Ho-won and Kang-ho a twisted story about how the heroic Manager Park fought the villainous Hyun for their jobs, getting all the facts wrong. He bossily sends Ki-taek for more kimchi, and Ki-taek shoots Yong-jae a look that says he’s getting sick and tired of his bullshit.

After lunch, Yong-jae picks on Ki-taek again, this time by rudely insisting that he drive them back to the office. But when Ki-taek hears him saying they should just fire the temps instead of restructuring, he finally blows. He flattens Yong-jae with a surprise right hook, yelling that every one of those temps works harder than Yong-jae does. They then make a run for safety, though Kang-ho gives Yong-jae a solid kick for good measure, hee.

That night, Woo-jin calls Ho-won to meet him in the park, and she notes that he calls her a lot lately. They go for a walk, enjoying the spring air, and Woo-jin smiles as he says that Ho-won taught him to enjoy the springtime in spite of the looming winter. He casually takes her hand, saying vaguely that he’s not her boss anymore.

Ki-taek wipes away his tears at his frightening diagnosis when Kang-ho asks how he plans to deal with Yong-jae’s fury at work tomorrow. Ki-taek doesn’t really care, since his contract says he can’t be fired, and they laugh that he sounds like Ho-won these days. Ki-taek wishes that tomorrow would come so that it can become “a happy today,” as Ho-won always says.

At Ho-won’s gate, Woo-jin finally tells her that he quit his job today. She asks if it’s because of the restructuring, but he tells her that it’s really because of her self-introduction assignment. It made him realize that Hauline was special to him like it’s special to her, and he apologizes for being so mean to her when they first met.

Ho-won starts to cry, worried for Woo-jin’s future. She dives into his arms to sob on his shoulder and beg him not to go, and Woo-jin smiles and says that she can hug him any time now that he’s no longer her boss.

Later, Woo-jin spends some time cleaning his place. He stops to water the small hyacinth that Ho-won planted when she was cleaning his apartment, telling it, “Grow well, Eun Ho-won.”

Yong-jae comes to work the following morning sporting an impressive black eye and looking angrily for Ki-taek. After some well-deserved teasing, Ji-na says that Ki-taek is visiting with his high school sunbaes. It scares Yong-jae into backing down, since he went to the same school a year or two behind Ki-taek.

Hyun offers Woo-jin’s job to Suk-kyung, but she tries to decline since it would look bad to the employees. Hyun accuses her coldly of being too fussy in wanting a promotion only under specific circumstances, but either way, he orders her to finish the restructuring soon. Lastly, he tells her not to take experience or position into account when deciding who to fire, only job performance.

It also falls to Suk-kyung to inform the office that Woo-jin quit before she’s called into Manager Park’s office. He feels betrayed that she’s taking Woo-jin’s job when he’d planned to be the new CEO and give her his job. He warns her that a dog who bites its master will always be viewed with suspicion, but then he tells her to do a good job and hopes that she doesn’t become like him.

Ji-na finds Ki-taek sitting outside and joins him, though she doesn’t hear him wonder softly if he should let her go. (No, don’t let her go!) She asks if he’s sad because of his sick friend, and he nods.

Ki-taek asks if she’d rather have one year of passionate love, or ten years of boring love. Ji-na wants to know why she can’t just have ten years of passion, hee. She chooses the one year, saying that one year of passion can last you the next forty years. Ki-taek agrees, because he wants to love her passionately, like every day is his last. Okay, stop that, you’re making me cry!

Woo-jin sends Suk-kyung a message through Ho-won and her to his old office, where she finds a nameplate naming her as General Manager of Marketing. She remembers him telling her to rely on herself as she stares at the nameplate.

Woo-jin can’t even last one day of unemployment without going stark raving mad. He’s made even grumpier by the fact that Ho-won hasn’t called or texted, jumping to the conclusion that she was only using him for his position at work. He’s so mad that he even yells at her hyacinth, ha, but then he benevolently shares his beer with it.

The boys walk Ho-won home, all of them exhausted after a day where everyone was freaking out about the restructuring. But then Ki-taek reminds them to be happy anyway, and they reaffirm their determination to stay positive.

Finally, Woo-jin caves and texts Ho-won to meet him at the playground, though he’s adorable with his Meet me, or don’t, whatever. Of course she does, and he whines that his day was super boring before griping at her for not reporting in to him. Ho-won asks why she should when he’s not her boss anymore before asking what was in the package for Suk-kyung.

Smiling, Woo-jin says that it was Ji-na and Ho-won’s future, though he doesn’t explain any further. (If I didn’t already love him, that right there would have done it.) He asks about Hyun, and Ho-won says that he was being interviewed by the restructuring team all day long. Confused, Woo-jin asks if their department wasn’t exempted after all.

Ho-won asks if it’s true that Woo-jin quit to save the rest of the team, but then she says gently that she thinks he’s a coward. She tells him that even though he was cool and sacrificed himself, he also avoided the real battle when he should have stayed to fight. That stings, but she’s not wrong.

Woo-jin stays up late thinking about Ho-won’s words while also thinking that she’s growing up well. He calls Gu-dong, who’s still at work and who calls the office a battlefield, quipping that the second-in-command has to stay vigilant since the commander isn’t there. Woo-jin admits that he regrets quitting the battle instead of taking Gu-dong’s advice, so Gu-dong asks him for a favor: to return if they win.

The next morning, Suk-kyung arrives early at the office to find Kang-ho already there. Kang-ho says he has something to take care of and that it’s something he wants to do, not work that Yong-jae dumped on him. He tells her that he’s happy to have a job here, which touches something in Suk-kyung.

She starts to head to her desk, but Kang-ho stops her again to say that he’s also happy to work with someone as great as her. She’s moved by his words, and as they take their desks, they smile at each other.

Manager Park goes to Yong-jae with a plan to oppose the restructuring, hoping to get everyone to strike. Yong-jae can’t understand why Manager Park is suddenly against Hyun when he’s always supported him before, but Manager Park just says he’s on the side of justice and a better company.

Suk-kyung tells Hyun that they’ll have to put a hold on the high-end furniture project due to unrest within the company, but of course Hyun refuses. He even tells her to accelerate the project, but Suk-kyung declines and tells him to find someone else to head the new project. She says that she misjudged the project, and now she believes that Woo-jin was right, in that it’s a bad risk.

She tells Hyun that if he ever bothered to leave his office, he’d know that the employees are preparing to strike, but he just fires back that the employees’ fears aren’t more important than the company’s future. Suk-kyung asks if he means the company’s future or his own, because she can’t tell the difference anymore.

She leaves, and Hyun hardly has time to react to her accusations before a call notifies him that his older brother has filed an application to become their father’s legal guardian. He’s floored, as this means that Hyun no longer has the legal right to run Hauline.

Manager Park talks to former-CEO Han at the convenience store, telling him about the elder Seo brother’s surprise takeover. Hyun has been transferred to the U.S. branch, effectively neutralizing him as a danger to Hauline any longer.

Han ridicules Manager Park for his flip-flopping loyalties, having been a victim of them himself, and quips that he must be exhausted. Then the store owner comes out to yell at Han for talking instead of working, and Han stands to put his store-issued vest back on and go back to work. HA.

Ho-won goes up to Hyun’s office to speak to him before he leaves, which surprises him. He asks if she’s here to yell at him for causing Woo-jin to quit, but she just reminds him that he liked Woo-jin too, once. She says that she’s actually here to thank him before he goes.

She tells Hyun that even though he seemed mean, she knows that he was really looking after her in his own way. She mentions that he didn’t retaliate when she yelled at him in the meeting, and that he arranged for two temp employees to be hired so that she’d get the job.

Ho-won adds that she believes he meant it when he said that seeing the three of them in the emergency room at their lowest moment made him want to do something good for them. She reminds him that she once said he was the best doctor she knew, clarifying that she meant that he’s really a good person before telling him to stop trying to hide it.

In a moment of honesty, Hyun says that people always use those who are nice and good. But Ho-won argues that that’s not always true and advises him to just tell people when he likes them. She says that it doesn’t matter what others think—what matters is the honest feelings between two people. She adds that she would have liked him even if he hadn’t gotten her the job at Hauline.

Ho-won lightens the mood by saying that they’re really the same, having both gotten their jobs through nepotism. She tells Hyun that she’ll wait for him to return, and then they can face off and see who’s the better employee. He takes her up on her offer.

With Hyun gone, Suk-kyung accepts the marketing manager position, which seems to make everyone in the office happy for her. Yong-jae pouts that since everyone leaves, he’s not going to show love to the new CEO, but Ji-na jokes that he’ll just bow and scrape as usual when he meets him, hee.

Ho-won is glad for Suk-kyung, but she can’t help but miss seeing Woo-jin at the office. She goes to his place that night, but he’s not home, nor does he answer her calls.

Ki-taek meets Ji-na at a cafe to talk, where he reminds her that she said she’d rather have a year of passion than ten years of boredom. Though he admits that he agreed, he says that he doesn’t think he can give her that year. He tells Ji-na that this is where his love ends, leaving her reeling.

Hyun visits his comatose father one last time before leaving the country. He tells his father that he always misses him when they’re apart, that he’s proud of him, and that he likes him a lot. Awww, he’s taking Ho-won’s advice.

Ho-won asks Gu-dong for a day off, and he seems to know exactly what she plans to do with it. She finds Woo-jin sitting on the beach and joins him, and since it’s the middle of the day, he assumes she got fired, ha. She says that she works very hard, and she sympathizes with his continued unemployment, understanding that it’s not easy to find a job.

She slyly asks when he’ll start bringing in money, wondering if she should ask for a raise. Woo-jin jokes that she shouldn’t be counting her chickens just yet. He grins when she fusses at him for making her look all over for him, asking if she’s been waiting for him.

Before leaving him to his thoughts, Ho-won reminds him that life is short and that you never know which day will be your last. She says what she came to tell him — that she likes him. Woo-jin looks stunned for a moment, but then he breaks into a giant smile and teases her for being too impatient to wait a few days until he comes home.

Ho-won is embarrassed, but she perks up when he says, “Me too. I like you, too.” Just for fun she makes him say it again, and they hold hands as Woo-jin gives Ho-won a sweet little kiss.

Life at Hauline resumes as usual, though Ki-taek is conspicuously absent. He’s refused a contract extension and told everyone that he’s going on a trip, but the truth is that he’s in the hospital, all alone.

A knock on the door reveals Ji-na, who somehow found out about Ki-taek’s illness. She’s angry that he didn’t tell her he’s sick, but she says that she’ll be waiting for him to overcome this and come back to her. Ki-taek can’t hold back his tears as she reminds him of his promise not to make her pitiful over him.

He goes to Ji-na and hugs her tightly, telling her that he’s about to go into surgery. He renews his promise never to make her look pitiful, and they both cry as he thanks her for being there.

The office has heard that a new CEO will be arriving today, and they’re all atwitter over meeting the new boss today. Yong-jae is especially upset, worried that he’ll be pushed out, but Gu-dong promises that the new CEO won’t let that happen.

We see a man in a suit riding the elevator, and hey, that tie looks familiar! We don’t see his face as he strides confidently to the office. The whole team is shocked to see Woo-jin, grinning a mile wide. Manager Park greets him familiarly, assuming that he’s here for a reference.

But Woo-jin has another surprise up his sleeve as he announces that he’s the new CEO. Everyone freezes, mouths hanging open, but they quickly recover to warmly welcome their new boss.

 
COMMENTS

Very rarely do I watch a drama and get exactly what I was expecting. And even when it does happen, it’s even rarer that I’m completely satisfied with what I got. But for me, Radiant Office is a show that hit that sweet spot in every way that counted — it was wholesome without being saccharine, it touched on serious issues without ever growing maudlin, and it highlighted the characters in a way that made them so real that I just wanted to meet them all and be friends. I’m glad that it didn’t dwell on the fact that Ho-won, Ki-taek, and Kang-ho met when they all tried to commit suicide, but quickly rose above their darkest moment with heart, love, and a positive message that life is what you make of it.

I also liked that the show was well-balanced, allowing life issues, office politics, and romance to share equal time and again lending to the feeling that the show was reflecting life as it really is. I even thought it was interesting that Ki-taek and Ji-na were the couple with the more serious relationship, giving the audience a taste of a passionate love while allowing Woo-jin and Ho-won’s romance to blossom slowly. Though I don’t think that it would have bothered me if they had escalated their relationship to something romantic while still working together (it obviously wasn’t against company policy), I am glad that Woo-jin waited to make a definitive move until after he quit. It put him on more equal footing with Ho-won and eliminated any question of whether it’s inappropriate for a new employee to date her boss.

The show wasn’t perfect — there were a few dropped plot lines and inconsistencies, like why Hyun hired two new employees instead of one, then less than a week later took back his promise to hire the contest winner and ordered several people to be fired. And some things that seemed like fun sidelines were just left unfinished, such as the early tease that Ho-won’s roommate worked in the Hauline cafeteria. It did feel a lot of the time as if things happened at Hauline because they were convenient for the plot, and not because they made logical sense within the show’s dramaverse.

Most notably, I wish we’d been given more information about Hyun in general instead of having to guess at his motivations and goals. Despite Ho-won’s parting words, it just doesn’t sit well with me that he got Ho-won, Kang-ho, and Ki-taek the jobs at Hauline just because he was feeling generous, when we learn later that he couldn’t possibly care less about other people. It felt like Ho-won’s “You’re really a good person, just stop hiding it” spiel was a bit of a late attempt to excuse Hyun’s horrid behavior to everyone he met, and it wasn’t enough to make me forgive him for all the terrible things he did to so many people.

I would also like to have known why Hyun paid so much attention to Ho-won at first, seeming to genuinely like her, then once he went to work at Hauline he pretty much ignored her. And I wish I knew how he justified to himself that a person might die because he didn’t feel like telling them they might be sick. But most of all, I wish that Hyun’s downfall was the result of his own hubris in some way, instead of the mysterious invisible older brother stepping in at the most convenient time.

But conversely, I liked how some things were left open-ended but with hints of the future, leaving us with the impression that life doesn’t stop just because the show is over. It left me feeling like these characters will go on working hard and being good people and maybe even finding love (I’m still crossing my fingers for Kang-ho and Suk-kyung). I do wish we’d found out whether Ki-taek will live or not, but I felt as though his and Ji-na’s story ended on a positive note and book-ended a lot of what Ho-won learned when she thought she was the sick one. She always said that whether life is short or long, what matters is what you do while you’re alive. And in that sense, no matter what happens to Ki-taek, he’s lived an excellent life.

Aside from being left with some confusion about certain characters, I’ve really enjoyed Radiant Office and the way it showed everyday people living everyday lives. Ho-won’s simple dream of working an office job and her determination to stand up for what’s right sometimes clashed, but in the end, she was right — there are some things worth fighting for, even if it means risking everything.

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Tags: Go Ah-sung, Ha Suk-jin, Hoya, Lee Dong-hwi, Radiant Office

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This show. Was so freaking adorable. I think the the suicide squad really brought this show together making it as special and unique as it was. Personally I felt there were many things that were left unsaid between characters but the relationships and bonds that were built between everyone was just amazing. Good job Writer.

Ki Taek. Yep he was my favourite character at the end. The big brother the responsible shoulder to lean on and the best friend anyone could have. I honestly loved this character so much I can not even deal. He was beyond amazing and personally I found myself watching the show mainly for his parts (and our adorable puppy romance). Lee Dong Hwi (the actor for Ki Taek) did such an amazing job playing this role and I will definitely be looking out for him in future <3

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Of course the others actors as well XD Just Lee Dong Hwi really impressed me with this role tbh compared to his other roles such as the one from Entourage

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Entourage was very much a mess and I feel that it didn't show the true potential of the actors very much.

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hahah very very very true

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I feel like when I finish a show all I ever do is complain about what it did wrong, and then I feel like everyone will get annoyed at me for only pointing out the flaws in a show and not having fun… but I’m probably just overthinking that last bit.
That being said, I simply cannot just ignore what I don’t like in a show. At least to a certain extent. I can ignore some things so far, as you have to in dramaland, but then something will happen and I’ll have to figure out why I didn’t like something. This usually happens at the end of a drama and leads to me analyzing the whole show because that’s how my brain works.
I actually really did enjoy this show, it was my happy place every week, and it was cute and fun and just nice to watch. I enjoyed it’s reasonably smart character writing.
But I really do feel like this episode was a letdown. It felt like in episode 15, they got written into hole, and to write themselves out of the hole needed a lot more than 1 episode (at least four, but honestly I could watch 30 eps of this show and not complain) but they only had 1 episode, so everything was rushed over very quickly. And I don’t know why this is. I don’t know why we had a relatively ok plot progression up until 15 and then suddenly 16 was rushed, I don’t know if they writers planned for more episodes but didn’t get them, or if they suddenly realized that ‘oh crap we’re out of episode space to write everything, better tie it real quick like, yeah?’ Because that’s what it felt like.

- We had no resolution between Hyun and anyone. He was suddenly just taken out of the picture by a convenient deus ex machina, which felt like a huge cop out after everything we’d been leading up to. Admittedly, I honestly couldn’t see a way out in one episode, and neither could WJ which is why he quit, thinking it might shift Hyun a little. But it didn’t. So I was a little salty that HW called WJ a coward? Cos like, sure you make all these fighting and war references, but nobody really fought anyway? Not enough to shift Hyun? Idk. Confusing. And then HW said bye to Hyun in her very HWish manner, I was ok with that because it’s Ho Won, but we had no real resolution between them either, it just… happened. Not wrongly per se, but there was no middle bit. Hyun’s character arc didn’t really go anywhere to warrant that goodbye. It could have, but he didn’t really have any development at all. And the ‘I will go and learn the business better’? FSSSHHHHHH Just because you paint over holes, show, doesn’t mean the boat isn’t still leaking. -.-
And I’m still unsure as to whether Hyun was smartly written and acted subtly, or if we were just given zero info on him ever…

- We had no resolution between Mr. Jerk and Whathisface-Lee and anyone else…(ALTHOUGH KH CLAPPING WHEN KT PUNCHED HIM HALLELUJAH)
Was Mr. Jerk’s fall into side-character-roll on purpose, because now he knows what it’s like to be ignored by his superior? Idk… why was he still around at the end? Is his...

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... Is his fall in S2? (Are we getting S2?) Where they trying to give him a redemption arc? Wasn’t he the main villain at the start…?
- Where was my suicide squad at? Ki Taek just decides to not tell anyone that he’s sick (dubmass noble idiot mood ftw *eyeroll*) and KH and HW never know he’s in hospital like, 진짜 show???? 진짜?! And SOMEhow Ji Na knows he’s in there, which is never explained… sdfghjkl just those character side plots felt a little out of place. I don’t mind that KT was the one who didn’t get the job, and that he was sick, I just wanted more of an ending… that 16 eps couldn’t give me.
- Woo Jin’s father was completely neglected which kinda irked me because back in that episode with him it heavily implied that everyone was gonna go back there at somepoint… that HW was gonna bring her friends there… and then we didn’t.
- How on earth did HW know WJ was on a beach? I assume Gu Dong told her… but the lead up to that scene was jerky.
- Kkeot Bi = most underused character on the show. Ok, so she was basically there for exposition, but she was so funny!!!
But then, ALL the cuteness, and we got a small kiss so like, I’m torn, because 16 was just so choppy and rushed and not paced well at all, but at least I got my ship resolution (the HW +WJ ship was written so well bless you writer, for making it natural and sweet), but dear me, what happened to the rest, and why wasn’t this 20 episodes. I honestly feel like the writer was good enough to come up with a better resolution in 20, but I’m just lost as to why, if they knew they only had 16, why things didn’t happen tighter, so that this ending wasn’t so … lacking. Because I really loved the show! And even though I actually think that it started to lose its focus a few episodes ago (eg. With Hyun doing batshit crazy things, and Park not really doing anything) I think it still had enough there to make sense… but then it didn’t…
I will always remember you with fondness though, Radiant Office, and I’m not nearly as salty at you ending as I am some others I can think of. You just got cut off at the knees a bit is all.
Kinda want to go watch Drinking Solo know for HSJ though.

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That's what makes it perfect for a season 2. I mean there's so much more to explore that another 16 episodes are needed!!!

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that would be amazing but I highly doubt we will get that other season tbh

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Shhh a girl can dream ;) haha

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bhahahha dont worry I am dreaming for that as well~

Let us pray to the drama gods

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Right? Right?! Badly want S2 now and that rarely happens.

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I would've only glanced at this drama, had they planned to air 30 episodes. But as you said, 16 episodes is not enough

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I feel like most of us felt the same disappointments as you. You basically said what was on my mind.

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I got the sense that we reached the middle part of the story & got cut off.

Epi 16 felt like that a lot of scenes were shot & there was only 1 epi left so they had edit them out.

Narratively speaking it didn't make sense to introduce kitae's illness so late into the drama. Unless they aldready shot those scenes so too late to change them. Makes me want to go into the writers head to know.

Yes definitely the writer's had a lot more stories to tell & it could comfortably reach 25 episodes without dragging it.

But overall the show left me with a warm & complete satisfaction.

Adios ?

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Agreed with you that episode 16 seems to be painted in broad strokes, and we the viewer are left to fill the details ourselves. The hyung from U.S. is definitely deus ex machina, but since he's been mentioned from the beginning, I'm more like, oh, so he actually exist and, oh, so this is his purpose. Even tho it makes Hyun like some kind of 12 years old let loose on the candy store before the adult reigns him in, ok, I can live with this closure...
As for Ho-won meeting Woo-jin, I thought it's more like he finally let her know where he was and was actually planning to get together, that's why he was asking why is she here "at this hour". Also, come on, they've just confessed and are in a beach getaway, am so letting my imagination wild on what happened next between these two ><

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The finale reminds me of a graduate course I took where the instructor told me I had a habit of getting 95% of the way through a proof and then just going damn-the-torpoedoes-full-speed-ahead to finish it and hope that no one notices.

It's still one of my favorite shows, but Hyun really bothers me. Maybe he's the one who told Ji-na what's up with KT (because I can't think of any other way she found out, unless Ji-na suddenly started channeling Seol-Ok), but whereas in a previous comment I mentioned that Hyun was a good doctor but bad business manager, I now take that back. He has no business being a doctor (this mysterious surgery that KT is having, wouldn't it have been better to have it three months ago?), and I feel sorry for whatever American branch he's moving on to.

I didn't get far in Drinking Solo, but HSJ is great in 1% of Anything.

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Both 1% of Anything and Drinking Solo are on my To-Watch list... now I wanna watch both haha

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I like the idea of Hyun cluing in Ji Na about Ki Taek's illness. Because otherwise that man just ended up irredeemable, in my eyes.

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Or maybe Ji-Na went to his place and saw the test results. Or...it's all explained in The Missing Episode. I like how KT asks her repeatedly how she found out, and she just says never mind that. It's like us and the show.

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Thank you. I was disappointed with the ending too. I had liked and been watching, following this show until the final just left me flat. Who was the older brother? Why did he pick Seo Woo Jin to be boss? What hints did I miss? I feel like it just ENDED--abruptly. Here it is. Tie it up. That's all folks. Show's over. Go home.
Was it just me and sicarius? Was everyone else in on it? Geez I was frustrated and disappointed!

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I'm right there with you Wag a muffin. When the show was done I was so disappointed. All I could think was "That was IT?"
Too much was vague and unresolved though the whole rest of the series was done well. I was SO not expecting such a flat finale.
*big sigh*

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SAME! This was such a rushed ending. It's like the writer was procrastinating all semester and suddenly realized the exam was tomorrow. So much time was spent on Hyun's office drama that there was like zero development anywhere else, and the resolution for all the corporate tyranny was a conveniently timed older brother.

I think what bothers me is that it undermined everyone's efforts in standing up to Hyun, the ending basically would've been the same if they'd just let Hyun do whatever he wanted from the beginning =/

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Honestly I'm right there with you. A lot of the cute and potentially heartfelt threads that happened within the first 7 or 8 eps (Woo-Jin's dad, the mystery around the brother, Ho Won's roommate, Ho-Won's mother) had seemingly been dropped in favor of more Hyun and office politics. And I've done my share of ranting about how office politics have seemingly taken over this show.

Hyun just didn't make any sense as a character, his interest in Ho Won was never explained nor were his motives. Because in the beggining it seemed like he wasn't exactly after the company or his father's approval. and the copout at the end was just cheap and ridiculous - just like Hyun's entire office scheme as of late which ate up most of the plot.

The Suicide squad also became less fun because of this and even Woo Jin and Ho Won. Like what happened to that moment in flowers by his house? That pushed their relationship up like 5 levels, and sure i like the sweet and slow but it stayed almost at that exact level until maybe last week, just so we could focus on Hyun and his non-sense. For me, he was truly crippled the show and why I can't say It completely hit that sweet spot for me.
Also Ki-Taek got a check up and he was fine before - so what is this nonsense illness he now has.

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This drama really did seem to need more episodes, given that they've introduced the Hyun takeover so late in the game and Ki Taek's illness even later. Ki Taek's illness did sour me, because I love Ki Taek so much. I could have sworn he got a clean bill of health at the beginning of the series, which was how they all deduced that Ho Won must have been the terminally ill one.

I really enjoy this drama, but I'm irked that we didn't get to spend more time to Ki Taek and Kang Ho. The three musketeers drew me into this drama. I wish we got to end with them hanging out together and reflecting on how far they've come. And maybe even see Ki Taek happily running his parents' restaurant and feeding his friends.

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She said she went to his house (I'm assuming his parent's house) and they told her where he was.

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I want Ho Won and Kang Ho to know Ki Tae is sick. I want them to be one of Ki Tae's strength to overcome his difficult period, to be place where he can lean on.
I want to see them together again. Our suicide squad ?

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Agree with your points. Hyun being removed like that bothered me quite a bit, because it was such a sudden turnaround that didn't make any sense. Neither did Ho-won's "you're just a nice guy deep down" spiel - I get that she's nice and forgiving, but it just flies in the face of everything else Hyun had done since he entered Hauline. I wish the drama had the guts to tackle Hyun's actions head-on instead of mysterious hyung swooping in at the last minute.

I do like how Ji-na developed in the second half of the drama, and am pleased that she's come through for Ki-taek all these times when he thought she wouldn't. I'm going to be optimistic and pretend that they got their happy ending and Ki-taek managed to fulfil his dream of getting married and opening his own restaurant. Cuz he just deserves all the good things after what he's gone through.

As for Woo-jin and Ho-won, their picnic date was adorable, and I do like how her words were food for thought for him instead of getting upset. I do love how they motivate each other to do better in their own ways, and they're just so sweet together.

Ex-CEO Han and Manager Park are hilarious together. They should really open that convenience store!

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Oddly enough, because so many plotlines got dropped, the writer then filled the final two episodes with flashbacks and long conversations with minor characters. And I'm like "SUICIDE TRIO, BUDDY!" give me my core three. So this was pretty much like every kdrama finale ever but I'm going to ignore that because this was a really nice show. I'm kind of sad I missed it the first time around.

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Yikes I was so confused as to why one of my notifications lead me here. lol Hi! Glad you watched this little gem and glad you liked it!

That's how I remember this show btw- it ended like so many other kdrama finales, but for this show I can ignore it because the rest was so nice and I remember it well.

Unfortunately for some shows, a bad ending can make me rethink where I stand on the rest of the show and I do NOT thus remember it fondly, despite any prior love letters written to it. *glares in the general direction of Because this Life is My First*

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I kind of forgive them the sloppy ending, because I just sort of have a soft spot for the Suicide Trio and the super slow sweet office romance. They could have done with a couple more episodes to tie things up better, but I overall I won't complain much about this one.

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Yes the final episode was a bit weak but honestly @sicarius @egads I kept waiting for the show - especially the way they wrote the OTP - to piss me off and it just didn't. And these days it's a rare thing for me. I completely agree about BTLIOF (although I try to keep that opinion from Mindy as much as possible - that finale episode ruined the female lead for me and now I can't rewatch it).

I particularly liked the way the male lead stuck to this principles throughout and didn't get involved with an employee even though he was clearly smitten early on. And I liked how it regularly showed women who wanted to work and earn money for themselves and not as something to prove their worthiness as a wife (a common kdrama problem).

I wish so much they'd spent more time on the suicide trio in the finale but this was a slow-burn, nice little watch. I'm glad I found it.

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(sorry re. typos I didn't get to edit the whole thing)

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I am so with you about this final episode being a let down. There are soooo many different lose ends that need tying up..... I really wanted to see something more evolve with Suk Kyung and Kang Ho..... I just really liked the awkwardness and adorableness between the pair. She helped him in so many ways and you could see the respect he held for him from more than just his actions. But I guess maybe it was only respect....

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I didn't really see romance between the two. I thought It was more of someone believing in Kangho, and Kangho developing a crush on her. I didn't see any romantic feelings from Sukkyung's side - it felt like she saw him as someone she wanted to take under her wings because he might've reminded her of herself.

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Yeah I can see where you are coming from... I guess me and my romance mind just wanted all of our suicide squad to find that special "someone"

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They're so far apart in maturity it seems to me though he's got a crush on her, it's more like she's adopting a puppy. But he is growing up, so in a few years, who knows...

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Hahahahaha I think Annoying-Always-Left-My-Wallet Lee deserves more than a punch. He has been abusing and tormenting the temps every day.

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Dude I wanted to slap him so bad every time he opened his damn mouth. I wanted him called into line more at the end, but KH ribbing him and then laughing whilst getting chased was actual gold too.

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Yes! I was so glad to see Kangho smiling and at ease. The chase scene and Kangho's sneaky little kick when he was down was gold.

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Love the beach scene! I have enjoyed this light drama, Ho Won's explosive moments, her honesty and Woo Jin's management of the company.

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I honestly cannot think if a female lead character that has stayed so... consistent and strong to herself, while still being so kind to the people she meets. HAHA, explosive is totally the right word for her, and i absolutely love her!

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of* (arggghhh, sorry)

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I agree with you- definitely explosive! LOL

Go Ah Sung earned my respect after I have seen her on Snow Piercer, Thread of Lies and awesome kdrama Heard It Through the Grapevine with Lee Joon.

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I really admired Ho Won for how true to herself and her values even when she is in a precarious position. I think she is likely to end up as CEO of Hauline one day.

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And Woo-jin will be her capable right-hand man!

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Loved the beach scene too! Honestly it's not the most romantic place; am thinking the wind gave them both bad hair day, Woo-jin looks like an adorable 12 year old boy with his hair all over the place, plus was he kinda squinting because of the sun..? But what the heck, it's so right for our down-to-earth OTP! Have to admit replaying this scene a lot, lot, lot of times ^^

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I liked it for precisely those imperfections! It felt more real that way - the fact that HoWon still had her inappropriate-for-beach office shoes on, the lack of product/styling in WooJin's hair, the bright sun, the wind... all those are stuff you get when you confess at a beach in the middle of the day.

Not to mention a horrible sunburn if you decide you want to linger!!

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yesterday, when I saw Ki Taek was actually sick and dying....I felt wow this show is crueller than jackpot...but overall turned out to be just fine

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Once again, I want to proudly declare my love for this show.

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I love this show. I thought HSJ's character will be just like his other drama. But I'm glad it isn't. I'm glad how the romance was played.
I'll miss the suicide squad.
Thanks for the recap!

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I felt that the romance was quite believable and in line with Howon and Woojin's characters.

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Although the kiss seemed awkward and (a bit?) forced.

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Completely random, but watching Radiant Office made me realize how smol Ha Sukjin's ears are.

Radiant Office was definitely a very cute (breezy) watch. I loved the show for it's friendship of the Suicide Squad, the relationships between Mr. Heo, Cho Sukkyung, Ha Jina, and Seo Woojin and the Suicide Squad.

It reminded me slightly of Misaeng in showing the positive growth and confidence of interns in the office environment, but I do feel that Misaeng did a better job overall.

Kkotbi was a very under utilized character, as was Howon's roomate. I was disappointed Woojin's father didn't make an appearance (I really thought that's where would Woojin go instead of the beach). Hyun's storyline was just messy, and how could Kitaek not tell ANYONE about his illness?

I felt that the romance was developed in a believable manner, staying in line with Howon and Woojin's characters, so I wasn't too dissapointed on that front.

Overall though, I would give Radiant Office a 4/5, falling short of perfect for it's last episode.

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I don't usually like open endings but I felt like this worked pretty well. I'm a little confused with why Hyun deserved that redemption to be honest after all the crappy things he did. Just because he supposedly looked after Ho Won, doesn't mean that his actions didn't affect other people surrounding them.

I kind of wish that Ho Won and Kang Ho had known about Ki Taek's illness so they would be able to support him, like the way that he supported HW. I've said this before but I loved this trio's friendship. There were times when Kang Ho had some iffy morals but the other two would always forgive him when he realised it was wrong.

The punch from Ki Taek to Yong Jae was so overdue. He's such an ass. Ho Won and Kang Ho's reactions to it were so funny (when KH started slowly clapping)

The understated romance between Woo Jin and Ho Won was perfect. No crazy events to get them together, no huge revelations or hidden secrets to keep them apart. That's why I loved the confession so much, because it was simple and it fitted them to the T.

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I really enjoyed this show, and agree with so many of the comments underneath (the roommate at work, more on Hyun to balance that good final chat with Ho-Won etc). And I know there have been some comments focussing on romance but it's (a bit on the nose, but different cultures) intent of looking at Korean corporate culture and specifically women in the workplace was bang on. That stuff I found fascinating and the discussions between Suk-Kyung, Ji-Na and Ho-Won so well done and enlightening. A wee bit different to Go Ah-Sung's "Office" workplace!

I don't often wish we had another epi but I think this could maybe have done with one - I'm assuming Gu-Dong had a lot to do with the behind the scenes machinations with politics and the Vice Chair as well, since his friend the Chairman had supported them.

The strength of the relationships was so key to how well the show worked and I loved that it preferred to spend time with the strength of friendships than petty corporate rivalry. I do just wish we'd had a final moment with the 3 friends now Ki-Taek is ill - we had them together all through the concerns with Ho-Won.

I'm really impressed this is a rookie writer although, sadly, that does mean I can't immediately go and watch everything else they've done!

Fave moment in final ep - Kang-Ho unable to stop applauding after the punch as if it had made his year (followed by the swift kick!)

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I agree with you on wishing we had a final moment with our 3 friends. I also really enjoyed this drama for the themes about corporate culture - covering both the horrible employment situation South Korean youth are struggling through at the moment and more universal situations that working professionals (especially women) experience. It is something that needs to be talked about but isn't. There were even a few moments when I felt bad for Manager Park and CEO Han, because their bad actions are a result of what happens when you get sucked into "eat or be eaten" type of corporate culture. Yong Jae pisses me off like all the time, but I did sympathize with him for the shortest moment during that scene when Manager Park screamed at him at length and when Woo Jin was figuring out who to lay off and found out that Yong Jae supported his siblings through college.

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Ditto on Park/Han - the fact the show went on to spend more time with them and ensure they never became some kind of one-note corporate villain is a great example of how well done the show was, focussing on some evidence of generational change. Even idiot Yong-Jae wasn't left without balance.

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Am cackling with glee knowing that Han Jung-tae is in the same position Ho-won was, that's some poetic justice ^^

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The ending.. What the...!?! I'm lost in mountain~~

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First and foremost, Ki-taek oppa is so NOT going to die; after the surgery, he is going to open his restaurant, marry Ji-na, have a girland 2 boys; and his daughter will be the first ever Hauline female CEO, coz she got grits like her mom and heart like her dad, so there!!
I loved this show so much, especially the plot/writing; all the characters have exploration and growth that are logical, not magical.
The office dynamics are relatable, and we can see that it's not only managers that influenced subordinates, the other way around is also true. Love it to bits when Kang-ho's assertion of her being a good gwajang became the support Suk-kyung needed to take a step forward.
The romance was built so slow, but truly makes the payback worth the wait. Can't remember I've ever squeed so hard just over a hand squeeze, really! The getting back together romance between Ji-na and Ki-taek is also beautifully portrayed, and I can't get over how cute Ji-na is in lovey-dovey mode, haha. Let's remember y'all, love can be poor, but it should never be pathetic!
Agreed with LollyPip and all of the commenters here tho, Seo Hyun is the villain I'm still scratching my head over his motive, and him being sweet for the early episodes then doing an unreasonable reign of terror at the later half, and suddenly all good son at the end O_o Still dunno whether to hate him or just pity him till the end...
As I'm still hopefully waiting for second season of Misaeng, am also wishing this could have a second season, with Ho-won & Woo-jin navigating office romance, and more of Kang-ho sassing and outgrowing Lee-daeri ^^

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That little kiss was so sweet... And thankyou for all Haulin crew, i'll miss u.

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Argh! It's frustrating because there were soooooooo many things about this show that they did right! But some of the not-so-enjoyable stuff you mentioned just left me so unsatisfied, especially in this episode. But I think that when I look back on the last 8 weeks, I'm left with just fond memories and this big smile on my face <3. I'm gonna miss this drama. T_T

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Omg first time ever posting after years of just reading on the sidelines (thank you v gamsa to everyone at dramabeans) but this show.was.LIFEEEE. I usually watch Korean dramas mainly for the eye candy but also to snidely comment on how awful and wooden the acting is or how flawed the storyline is, but this show has moved me like no other ;_____; Just the realistic (one can even say prosaic) slices of everyday life, triumphs, and tribulations has basically rocked my feels in a way that no other tv show (Korean or not) has done in a while. All the characters aside from the main cast had a purpose, and truly enriched this small little office ;___; not to mention just lovable, dearest ho-won + woo-Jin. ho-won is precious incarnate with so much compassion and heart, while woo-Jin GODDAYUMMM: empathetic (towards the end), competent, understanding, sweet, hawt, and more than anything so supportive of ho-won with none of that #masculinitysofragile I MEAN. I dunno how to fill the rest of my Tuesdays and Wednesdays from now on ;______; (unless season 2 please really not kidding PLEASE...???????)

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did I mention just how PRECIOUS LION-HEARTED, COMPASSIONATE HO-WON IS *ahem* i have a lot of feels and unshed tears over the fact that radiant office is no more ;______;

but I guess one issue? Question? I had was why there needed to be an actual sit-down confession (?) it's NOT like they weren't both aware of each ofher's feelings, methinks. They went on their date, held hands in a non-platonic way, and went out of their way to see each other in a non-professional setting. Not saying I DIDNT squee during the scene cuz TT__TT FEELSSSSS but ...i guess in terms of necessity (?) is where I'm confused

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You aren't wrong but I think needing a confession is like needing to hear "I love you" but at the start of a relationship.

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haha that tried-and-true gobaek card though... ^__^ either way it was v cute and much squeeing ensued ;__; also the fact that ho-won just bulldozed ahead and told woo-Jin how she felt cuz woo-Jin wasn't taking the initiative, like GIRLLLL PLEASE YES DO YOUR SLAYAGE

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Even the way they confessed was so true to their character ?

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I think it's partly an excuse for HW to go find WJ on his vacation (their second not-a-date-but-really-a-date), and also HW can't bear to have an unspoken thought. She has to come out and state her feelings clearly. WJ was more like "me too. ditto."

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I love radiant office so much... I think it just got on my first 20 k-drama list....

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So many mixed emotions over the finale but what's definite is that I need season 2 pronto!
I love how the characters, office dramas and romance in this show is so so realistic and relatable. The struggle to find employment, surviving the job itself, and trying to find self-worth while navigating life as a whole is so hard at times. But in the end, if you just hang on and ride the waves, you will find that ray of sun that you seek :)

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"Very rarely do I watch a drama and get exactly what I was expecting. And even when it does happen, it’s even rarer that I’m completely satisfied with what I got. But for me, Radiant Office is a show that hit that sweet spot in every way that counted — it was wholesome without being saccharine"
Yes that was soo good....
Very satisfying....

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I love this show to bits and I'm sad it has ended. I feel like I could watch another 10 or even 20 episodes of this.

I understand that the ending wasn't perfect but it's just a tiny blot in the huge expanse of awesomeness.

When I first read of this drama, Go Ah Sung got me interested and when Ha Suk Jin was confirmed, I knew I had to give it a shot. Other than these, it sounded very ordinary and the terminal illness trope is my least favorite. So, I am pleasantly surprised that Radiant Office turned out to be my best drama of 2017.

I really like how the drama centered on the female character and didn't give her a lobotomy once she fell in love or sidelined her for the male lead. It helped that Go Ah Sung is a wonderful actress. I loved Ho Won even when she was at her worst. It has been a great journey watching her grow from someone who constantly berates at how unfair life is to someone who is learning to live life to the fullest.

This show has the best female characters and very realistic ones. Suk Kyung is a very nice person, a great boss and very capable to boot. But she is not a saint, she has her moments of vulnerability and made some wrong decisions. Same with Ji Na. I can't believe how this drama managed to make us root for her in the end. And very convincingly at that! Most of all, I like that this show addresses misogyny in the workplace and yet has characters like Suk Kyung winning her rightful promotion, Ji Na willing to be the breadwinner and Ho Won spurred to touch the sky by a very unchauvinistic boyfriend.

Although the romance is the slow burning kind, I think the drama has gotten it right. It would be very kdrama and not in a good way if Ho Won and Woo Jin fall in love quickly and have a hot office romance. These are two persons who didn't start out liking each other at all. I love how their relationship transit so naturally.

Jang Eun Do are friendship goals. I know they are going to stay friends for life no matter where they go.

This is the kind of slice of life drama I like. Anyone who has worked in an office will surely relate to it. If you are looking for heady romance, weepy melos and birth secrets, Radiant Office isn't the drama for you.

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I have nothing to say except I love them all but especially Woo Jin who told such encouraging words in the end to the girls in the office and wanted to protect all of them.
and our two turtle doves finally spelled out what they had already acted every bit as lovebirds, the only thing left was to say it but that´s minor.
but what becomes of Ki Taek?

we need a second season. And I don´t really think Hyun had a satisfying turnaround just yet. I want more of this bunch! I want to see Ki Taek and Ji Na struggle working life mixed with 3 kids at home, too.

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Please tell me this is a mid-season break. No? Okay. There's a season 2. No? Hhmmmm...

Things got crammed in this episode and I ended up dissatisfied. I was really rooting for this show. Very relatable workplace plot and characters. But man, I just wished the last few eps (esp. the finale) did them justice.

That said, most of this show worked for me. Special mention to the suicide squad and their unwavering friendship and their optimism fired up by each other.

So season 2? No? Really?

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I don't think Hyun was referring to Ki Taek when he talked about the terminally ill patient in the Emergency Room.

If I didn't remember wrongly, Hyun said something about having less than six months to live. I've read translations elsewhere that Ki Taek has 2nd stage stomach cancer. So he can't be that patient.

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stomach cancer is almost always lethal. I have lost 6 friends-colleagues-mentors to it past 3 years. it is awful and merciless.

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I'm sorry about your colleagues. It's one of the top cancers in this part of the world. The Koreans and Japanese have higher incidence of stomach cancers, probably diet related.

Back to the show, survival rate and staging are different. So Ki Taek may have stage 2 stomach cancer which has statistically lower 5 year survival rate than other cancers but it doesn't mean he is terminal.

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I wanted to say this drama does pay attention to little things like the cast wardrobe and styling.

Ho Won had only that black and white ensemble for a good part of the show. Only after she got confirmed as a permanent employee, her wardrobe started to have more variations. In other dramas for example, a college girl with very limited means have like 50 jackets just for winter ? I was also smiling at Woo Jin's hair after he stopped work. It is all so real, right down to things like this. ?

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Except that she got that dusky pink suit as a gift from her brother and she wore it TWICE in the entire show...

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I am so relieved that I'm not the only one crazy confused with this ending. Someone told me on another forum that Woo Jin was Hyun's older brother and that it was referenced in an early episode and that's how he got the job. Did I miss this? And was Do Ki Taek the unknown patient with stage 4 cancer in the first episodes? Because I think it said he had stage 2 in the final episodes? I'm so confused ?

I did love love love this show. I just feel like I missed something?

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No, Woo Jin is not Hyun's older brother. We never met him. I think the whole terminal thing was the biggest miss in the end of this drama because we don't know. Stage 2 stomach cancer is not a for sure terminal situation. That whole scenario just left us hanging, and imo was the biggest misstep of the drama.

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PHEW ? I was seriously wondering how I missed the brothers part but I'm relieved ?

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I thought Hyun's older brother would appeared at the end and his father at least woke up(or die?) but nothing happened. This kinda gave me feeling to watch next episode next week lol

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It's just the Hyun referred to his older brother as being as work-driven as Woo-Jin - I think they even had the conversation in the cafeteria between the staff to make fun of it. But they aren't related.

I'm not honestly sure if Ki-Taek is the patient Ep 1 who's ill or if they're playing it as a coincidence. Given they can't remotely leave Hyun positively if it was Ki-Taek, and they did, I'm guessing it was a reference to someone else. There were 4 beds around that conversation not just 3 - maybe the other bed?

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Thank you for the clarification. I was waiting for this recap so I could seek answers ☺️ I find solace knowing I'm not the only one slightly thrown off by the finale

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I'm assuming Ki-Taek is the original terminal patient, because otherwise there's no reason to introduce his illness, which closes that loophole of "so who was that terminal patient Hyun was talking about" but replaces it with all kinds of unsatisfying (they should have just let him open a bakery). And there was a hint that Hyun knew when he noticed KT's discomfort, which has been ongoing.

I think they just ran out of time to do it properly--it feels like the script was originally written for 20 episodes and they wrapped it up early with "and they lived happily ever after. The End."

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I noticed that this drama likes to subvert tropes.

I know there were people who were disappointed to find no link between Hyun and Woo Jin. We are too accustomed to having birth secrets. More interestingly, the writer knows it and uses it to troll viewers. Remember that even ex-CEO Han and Manager Park suspected that Woo Jin is the Chairman's older son?

Hence, there may be no link between the original terminally ill patient and Ki Taek. It's highly unlikely that Hyun mistook terminal stage with stage 2.

Ki Taek also previously had a checkup which showed normal results. Are we saying both Hyun and Ki Taek's medical reports are wrong?
Either Ki Taek is the world unluckiest guy or another explanation which I am more inclined to is that his stomach cancer only progressed quite recently. It wasn't picked up in the ER nor in that medical checkup he had undergone.

Despite saying all these, I do agree that the drama shouldn't have introduced his illness at this point and worse, noble idiocy rearing its ugly head.

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But somehow I do find Ki-taek's take on the noble idiot role somewhat fitting—other characters in other dramas would just suddenly take that role even when the situations do not even ask for it, and so in the end their ‘sacrifice’ seems somehow too contrived. Ki-taek's was not. The show has consistently shown us that if things like that were to happen, Ki-taek is almost always too gracious enough to show disappointment or to drag other people down. But somehow, his noble idiocy was matched by Ji-Na's tenaciousness so, methinks, all's well that ends well. :)

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enough not* to show
ack bloody typo

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I agree with LollyPip's conclusion pretty much 100%. I feel if this drama had been done even 5 years ago, KT's ex-girlfriend would have been the mean girl stereotype throughout the entire drama. One of my favorite things was to see how she handles various situations, see her change and to also see things from her perspective. So we go from her dumping him for not passing his test over and over again to her standing by him through the worst of times. It's because Radiant Office got things like this right that I forgive them the missteps specifically as it relates to how the whole terminal illness trope played out in an odd way throughout the drama.

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WTF random brother. LAME.

Oh well. The good parts outweighed the bad, over all.

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AH NO NO Woo Jin dont give flowers beer, please ah man, I didnt notice it before at all. was that an ad lib as well? it seems like there was lots in the final episode it is like the PD went ahead to a vacation and the team filmed it with what they had but still dont give flowers beer!

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Lol I actually said "oh no dude don't do that STOP" when he started "sharing" his beer with the plant!!!

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some flowers might even enjoy it, but a hyacinth is very sensitive. Or maybe all flowers are so genetically modified they´ll turn into super powered mutants...
we´re going to have a spin-off "The Hyacinth That Drank Beer."

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Radiant Hyacinth
Drinking Hyacinth
1% of Alcohol

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Drinking Soil.
Flower Beer Next Door

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I started this show near the end of its run, and made it in time to watch the last two episodes "live". I really enjoyed it - it was quietly dealing with alot of issues that usually come off as super battles in other dramas. The show really ran like Ho won's idea of living every day as happy as possible in the means she's capable of. We usually think - oh, due to their potential terminal illness, these people are going to do things with a BANG! Wage War! 'cause EVERY.DAY.IS.PRECIOUS. But the show ran it more like... celebrating the every day life, celebrating and exploring the society that was given to us, good and bad, celebrating the society we want to create.

Same as Lollypip, I wish they had given more backstory to Hyun. What were the motivations? His transfer to the US branch was so convenient... and lame. Everything was sorta working up towards this new launch... and then... nothing.

What's more is that.. I really wish they had ended the show with the 3 amigos together. Sure, it may come off as a bit cheesy, but Ho won and Kang Ho should know what's going on with Ki Taek, and be there as support. That would've been the way to end it.

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That's a good point, it would have been nice to end the same as it started, with the trio together and supporting each other. It did seem kind of inappropriate for everyone in the office to be having a good time in the final shot not knowing what's going on with KT.

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This show was just beautiful just everything about it. I am really going to miss it. And I rarely feel withdrawal symptoms when a drama finish airing but with this one, I felt really sad that I won't get to meet these characters next week too. Only thing that makes me less sad is that next week I get to see Yoo Seung Ho and Kim So Hyun together on my screen. Just that helps!

Every single character in this drama felt so real and raw like it was someone you might know in your real world too. And how adorable was Woo Jin and Ho Won together. I wish the drama was bit longer towards the ending, since we could have seen how all the character's ended doing but as mentioned above may be leaving it all open ended was great idea cause it really makes you think that they all are going to continue on and successfully recover from their illness, fight their battles and fall in love but just that our journey with them ends here.

This drama had found it's place on my fav drama's list. I had a fun ride with Radiant Office and thanks for the recap every week! Cheers.

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Thanks so much for the recaps LollyPip!

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I'm just start wondering if Hyun's father in bed is a stunt double lol bcoz he never wake up
And i thought that Hyun will fight his older brother to get Hauline but.. nit he's just gone by himself lol. this is unfinished drama lmao

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They made mention of Gu-dong still fighting the battle, and as I recall he was friends with the chairman, and thus it would follow that he knows Hyun's brother, so I suspect that Gu-dong alerted the brother to the goings-on and helped engineer Hyun's ouster. But that's a lot of speculation based on a little. It's almost like writing fan fiction. I could also theorize that Kkot-bi is the secret mastermind pulling the strings.

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I miss this drama already... it's been a long time since I got attached to the characters this way. I loved every single one, even the bad guys who were bad at being.. bad. I read this on Tumblr and I wanted to share it to see what you guys thought about this theory:
" Woo Jin is Seo Hyun’s older brother. Because of Section Chief Heo and Ho Won, he changed his mind regarding the company and decided to take his dad up on his offer to run it (they had this conversation sometime around the first 4 (6?) episodes).

Seo Hyun ended up moving to America because Woo Jin won the guardianship of their father and the family’s assets. (Maybe the reassignment is a private settlement between them?)

Woo Jin /did/ introduce a father to Ho Won, but I’ve got a theory that he’s more like a father figure. That, and the writers were just trying to throw us off despite giving us several clues about his real family already."

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I loved every episode, every moment of this show, and I'm not one for office dramas. It was such a refreshing slice-of-life narrative, so REAL and relatable. There were tiny disappointments here and there what with the terminal illness mystery patient scenario evaporating as the show went on, how Hyun's older brother who was clearly a big enough force to turn Hyun into a bad guy never showed up once, and no clear indication of Ki-taek's health, but these were minor qualms because in the grand scheme of things, I walked away from this drama feeling so happy and proud of the characters and storylines.

Lee Dong Hwi absolutely breathed life into his character as Ki-taek. I cried and cheered with him as he went through his everyday struggles of wanting to be happy. In many ways, he almost felt like the second lead here, and I would totally be on board if he ever wanted to headline as the lead in the future. There is something so earnest and natural and eloquent about his acting and the endearing type of character Ki-taek was, it's kind of giving me Hogu vibes. which I love!

Radiant Office was a feel-good drama for the books, and has officially made it to one of my top ten absolute favorite shows of all time. Eun Jang Do fighting!

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Agreed that Lee Dong Hwi was so good as Ki-taek, he brings so much gravitas without being overdramatic. His scene with Hoya, when he said something like "tomorrow should come so we can be happy today", it really breaks my heart. Was squeeing over Woo-jin & Ho-won handholding, and feeling like crying the next minute...

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I'm imagining the invincible Hyung was the force behind the employment of Seo Woo-jin(rather than the father). Seo Hyun only came to power in the company when Hyung retreated from taking over their dad's duties. I think he gave his little (half)brother a chance and let him take a shot at a corporate career that he so desired. Sadly, the power got to his head and the rest is history. I kinda like this narrative a lot.

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It seems that you took the wrong name in this scene, LollyPip: "He asks about Hyun, and Ho-won says that he was being interviewed by the restructuring team all day long." Woo Jin asks Ho Won about Gu-dong, not Hyun.

It's still a great recap as always, LollyPip. Thanks a lot!

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I'm going to miss the suicide squad especially Ki Taek. I would love to see more characters like Ho Won especially in office dramas, girl power.

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"Very rarely do I watch a drama and get exactly what I was expecting. And even when it does happen, it’s even rarer that I’m completely satisfied with what I got."
My thoughts exactly. Thanks @lollypip for the recaps and commentaries for this amazing drama! :)

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I'm amazed at how good this show got considering what it was in the beginning. It irritated me to no end how terribly our Suicide Squad were at their jobs, I struggled to see how Woojin and Howon could become a couple, I struggled to see how I could find most of the characters likeable. And yet somehow, I don't even know what episode it was, it all snuck up on me and became one of my favourite dramas ever.

What made this drama special for me was a combination a bunch of things:
* The strong friendship between our Suicide Squad, which was never damaged by the fact that they were competing against each other and never fell into the trap of 'men and women can't be friends'. They were such a wonderful trio and I will miss them so much
* Woojin may be abrasive at times, but he's also a sweetheart, and this combined together in his character in an incredibly realistic way. He was supporting and loving towards Howon, but also never missed an opportunity to give her constructive criticism and let her know exactly what he thought
* Howon was such a wonderful female lead. She was confident, but we were also able to see so much of her vulnerability. She was stubborn, but it was never just for the sake of being difficult, and she learned that she could be flexible without giving up her morals. She had many flaws, but throughout the show she evolved into somebody more competent and confident in her abilities
* What could have been an icky makjang twist by having Kitaek suddenly be sick was actually very well thought out (although I'm still not sure why it wasn't picked up in his earlier check up). Kitaek still hadn't accepted that Jina loved him and was going to be there to support him for better or for worse (hence the terrible noble idiot break up). Now that he's truly sunk to the bottom and Jina's still there for him, maybe it'll get through to him. Leaving the outcome of the surgery open ended means that in our heads we can all happily assume that whatever it was has been fixed and he will open his restaurant someday soon.
* Every character (except maybe Hyun, haven't forgiven that bastard yet) was somehow made likeable. That jerk convenience store owner, the former director or ceo or whatever he was, Manager Park, Yongjae... I don't know how they did it, but even though they were all kinda horrible at certain points I still had some level of affection for each of them. I found it pretty realistic that little scene where Howon and Yongjae were laughing together (I think they were making puns?). Because I thought it was quite realistic that even if you hate the people you work with some of the time, you still have to work with them, and you can still enjoy their company when they're not being mean and annoying.
* I've never been so satisfied with a drama relationship with so little skinship and kisses, but Howon and Woojin just felt so real. Okay they were super super super slow, but obviously they had to deal with the fact that...

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Oh the other thing I liked that I forgot to write:
* Hyun got his job through nepotism, he sucked, and so they got rid of him. Surprisingly this logic does not seem to apply in companies in other dramas (although I suppose he only went to another office, but fingers crossed he gets kicked out of there too).

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The drama redeemed him somewhat (Ho-won's "you're a nice guy deep down" spiel, which was illogical), and Hyun did say he'll learn the business properly at the US branch, so I guess he won't be as horrible.

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The suk kyung actress is so beautiful..

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The moment Hoowoon said "Life is short..." I thought she was going to die lol, but I'll always remember this slowly blossom romance between Howoon and Woojin as my most favorite office romance ever.
Seems like the writer has a lot story to tell but unfortunately this only 16eps drama and that's not enough.
I love it.. i love it overall.

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did they kiss?which episode?

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There's a peck in the final episode.

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Lovely drama. I do watch Kdramas to escape from reality but sometimes it is nice to watch a drama that shows simple people, everyday people like me, falling in love, dealing with work life/colleagues/friends/family and just doing the best we can with what we have.

Thank you to the entire drama crew from writers,directors and all involved to make this drama, lovely depiction of romance and office life. Nothing seemed rushed for me, as newly dating people do not just jump in and able to kiss oh so passionately like we see in other dramas. There bound to be awkward moments. HSJ and Go Ah sung smiling so broadly at the beach just tells me every time there is a down, do not forget of life's silver lining and more positive will come in our lives as long we live it to the fullest doing things that makes us happy.

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I really do wondered why everytime i like a drama Series, its episode cant get enough of me. I keep on wishing Hoping that it would extend more or just dont end or the lead would just date, married for real!. LoL im really pathetic because everytime i do, it wont happen. Reality is reality and fantasy will never be reality. :'(. Hays good bye RO thank u so much for coming to my life. U give me lesson to learned and ur also been part of my kdrama life history.

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Loves this show. Ho won was so endearing and really, I was just rooting for her to succeed in career and in life. I loved how low key her romance was with Woo Jin. Saying goodbye to a warm little show with a happy heart. ❤️

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I can totally relate with WJ's resignation in this drama, cowardly though it seems. I did exactly the same thing because my supervisor was very verbally abusive to the staffs, even those under me. Apparently, the higher ups has no idea she was doing it. Eventually, I confronted her, but wouldn't listen. So I resigned. They asked me why I resigned when it wasn't me she was targeting. I told them that R&Fs are considered "dispensable" because they be replace relatively easy, thus they practically do not have voices. But when an officer resigns, it creates an issue because they are hard to replace and train. After that, an investigation was launched and the staff, two of them, were relocated to another department and are now happily working.

This drama is so realistic (except HW's weekly resignation, because seriously, if she does that to me, I'm going to blacklist her) that is why even without the lovelines, I did not regret watching it.

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#RadiantOfficeS2 ....please... i know and feel like the writer hold the rest of the story to answer our questions for another season ...i just think the station needs a little push on it. cross fingers guys surely there's a lot of us who will be waiting...hopefully not in vain =)

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Loved the show, but I thought the ending was pretty blah.

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I am a recent entrant into the kdrama world :-) about 4 months old. And 3 episodes into Radiant office, I chanced upon this website. Ever since then I have been readying LollyPip's recaps (thnx much) and all your great commentary while watching the show on a different website. I finally felt compelled to create an account on this website so I can post this comment :-) I absolutely loved this drama. Of course I started seeing it for Ha Seok Jin but before long i came to love all the characters in the show. Excellent performance by all cast! Some of the other dramas I had seen - the romance was so unrealistic! And once the show realized they could cash in on the leads chemistry then all other subplots and characters were left on the wayside! And I was tired of the chaebols and the wooden girlfriends in these other dramas and then I discovered this little gem! This drama remained true to developing all characters in the story as much as possible. I agree with all the comments that they could have still done a better job but I had a great time watching a more realistic drama about every day people! Will miss this show a lot!

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I read a few lines here and there about a disappointing ending. And I'm sitting here grinning from ear to ear about a near perfect closure of a delightful little office show. I'm imagining the suicide squad living their happiest lives somewhere on Planet Drama. *sobs* Bitter sweeeeeeeeeeet!

Office Kdramas have steadily become one of my favourite kind. Let me go down memory lane...
Ms Temper
Super Rookie (Rookie Eric!)
King of Highschool
The Color of a Woman
Protect the Boss
And of course MISAENG

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Still couldn't force myself to watch this final episode, because it means that I have to say goodbye to all these lovely characters. They touched me particularly, since for a wee while I saw myself in them especially the Suicide Squad. Ki-taek on the one hand reminds me so much of my Dad and his self-sacrificing ways and his and Ji-na's relationship actually mirror my mum

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Ah carp. Hate commenting in mobile! Anyway what I was saying was Ki-taek and Ji-na's relationship somehow mirror Mum and Dad's early relationship that's why from the start I was rooting for them to find their common ground and start anew since in reality it does work. Heh. Frustrated in some ways since I have that niggling feeling tha all others learned from the experience except possibly Hyun. But good gracious no hidden birth secrets, no tragic deadly illness, no noble idiocy on a grand scale, the show somehow managed to depict the tried and tested format of office drama but without the usual trappings of usual K-drama tropes. Will be binge-watching this from the start before I go to the final episode.

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For me, this show started out very strong then around episode six it lost the way. It muddled through the typical K-drama tropes. I find Ki-taek and Ji-na the most endearing, while the rest no so much (Kinda typical copy/paste characterization).

Thank you for the recaps! You saved me hours and hours of watching.

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I found this show to be supremely sweet and satisfying... As long as I don't reflect too long on understanding exactly 0% of any of Hyun's motivations. Like, was he just cray-cray? Or was he an evil genius, and simple li'l ol' me just couldn't hope to comprehend his advanced reasoning? I just don't get it. smh.

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