[Choose your epilogue] For the scene stealers
by Guest Beanie
W–Two Worlds
Anyone remember Love Rain? Yes, I am talking about the train-wreck that wasn’t a particularly flattering drama for anyone on board. Jang Geun-seok and Yoon-ah spent twenty episodes exercising their tear-ducts. Anyhow, just one performance in that drama stood out to me, just one cast member walked away better off, and I’m proud to say I finished the show just for him.
I’m talking about Seo In-gook. I wouldn’t be surprised if no one knows that Seo In-gook had a minor role in Love Rain, because he was painfully underutilised. Yet, I don’t know whether it was to do with the audience response, or a sudden epiphany from the writer, but the last five minutes of that horrible show belonged to him.
Love Rain
Just as the credits were rolling and I thought I was finally free, Seo In-gook graced me with a final “I’ll be back!” in glorious English, and I realised I could forgive the drama for everything because of that very scene. Here it is if you don’t believe me:
There is no perfect drama, and I can think of good ones where perhaps one character or one plot line wasn’t given quite as much love as some others. So my epilogues are for the scene-stealers, the best characters of a drama. My gift to them is to give them the last scene of their series.
I wasn’t satisfied with the ending of Answer Me 1988. The show worked so meticulously to craft characters that felt like real people, our friends and family, then blatantly ignored a few characters at the end. My ideal epilogue for Answer Me 1988 would have Dong-ryong prance out onto the screen. It doesn’t matter what he would do there, perhaps wave off the viewers in a Ferris Bueller-esque way, because I would just be happy the wise-beyond-his-years chatterbox I love would be getting the recognition he deserves.
Answer Me 1988
There are so many actors in dramaland who are devoted to bringing an extra dash of personality into B-roles. They throw themselves into the role of funny sidekick and leave lasting impressions on the viewer. If I’d written W–Two Worlds, assistant manhwa illustrator Su-bong wouldn’t have faded into obscurity. I would have had him discover his own portal into a webtoon world, maybe with a cameo from a great actress to play his fictional love interest, and invited the audience to laugh away the pain from the bittersweet hour and let the drama cycle begin again.
W–Two Worlds
If I had any say in Go Back Spouses, we’d see Go Dok-jae in a new future where he and his wife aren’t passive-aggressively cheating on each other. That, or I’d resume in the past, where Dok-jae’s head is stuck between two bars, and as people desperately try to cut him out, he wonders gravely where his life went wrong. As a main player in the story, it seems wrong that he got nothing back at the end except a sad new haircut.
The epilogue possibilities are endless. Perhaps Kang Ki-young could snap at the end of Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-ju just in time to play the terrifying cat/sibling-murderer in While You Were Sleeping? Oh, and just think of all the characters abandoned across the duration of Smart Prison Living! An epilogue can address something you had to write out, or didn’t have time to write in. An epilogue can be a saving grace for the writers with too many plots to juggle. Or perhaps an epilogue can be an opportunity to show viewers a face that captured their hearts one more time.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-ju
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1 Jadestar
October 8, 2018 at 4:39 PM
Love Rain was an overly dramatic tear jerker but I loved it. I enjoyed the sound track on which there were some lovely songs including a gorgeous song by seo in gook. I noticed him in this too.
Yes it was full of kdrama tropes and clichés but it was very prettily done. I admit I was newer to dramas in those days and on a jang geun seok binge but so what. I don't think it gets enough credit personally.
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PakalanaPikake
October 8, 2018 at 5:40 PM
I watched LOVE RAIN about a year ago, and loved the music. ;-)
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thequiet1
October 8, 2018 at 8:48 PM
Same for me, I first notice SIG in Love Rain, which I was forced to watch with my mom. So when SIG graced the screen of Reply 1997, I was excited to see him, the only reason I got through all the tears in Love Rain.
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Ally
October 9, 2018 at 8:10 AM
This was the first kdrama where I happily rewatched episodes and squee-worthy scenes.
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Tizzy
October 10, 2018 at 8:55 AM
Love Rain wasn’t perfect but I must admit I enjoyed it. It was pretty to watch and the music was nice.
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Rukia wants melona
October 12, 2018 at 10:55 AM
Love Rain was one of my first dramas. I hated the father's character and fell into every single trope. I didn't even know that tropes were a thing back then. *sigh*
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2 acela ❤
October 8, 2018 at 4:51 PM
I wouldnt mind seeing Dong-ryong with his own happily ever after with that model gf he supposedly have. He was the only character unscathed from the complicated love stories his childhood friends went through. So would be nice to see him settled with a lovely woman and kids. Proving to be a better parent than his own.
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3 suk
October 8, 2018 at 5:07 PM
@frabbycrabsis YES this write up was such a joy to read, I laughed all the way through it! I agree with everything you said, and reading this has made me miss those valuable side characters all over again. Especially Su-bong in W, I remember him almost as much as I remember Lee Jong-suk with a gun, and that's really saying something (so glad to see him back in Player ). Sometimes, I imagine short clips of the side characters (like an epilogue) doing their shenanigans after the finale of the drama, just to leave the audience behind with some humor or sentiment to truly remember the drama with. And that's why I really appreciate those drama writers who take the care and time to write some sort of satisfactory ending for every character of significance in the drama, just so our imagination can have a place to take off from.
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4 egads aka Dame Maggie
October 8, 2018 at 5:40 PM
@frabbycrabsis I love your Kang Ki-young character arc from Weightlifting to While You Were Sleeping. It could happen.
And I agree Su-bong deserved better in W. (Actually everyone deserved better than that second half)
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frabbycrabsis loves KBS Drama Specials
October 8, 2018 at 11:59 PM
I was really proud of that one! 😂😂😂
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5 Cocoa, The Fake Poet of February
October 8, 2018 at 6:45 PM
THIS. I love this, and agree wholeheartedly! There is nothing worse than falling in love with a whole cast, only to have the final hour belong solely to a boring albeit cute main couple.
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frabbycrabsis loves KBS Drama Specials
October 9, 2018 at 12:07 AM
I almost included Kim Ji-suk's character in Oh Hae-young Again, but then I remembered that firstly he was loved ardently by everyone anyway, and also that he kind of got that epilogue in Introverted Boss? 😂
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Mariah
October 10, 2018 at 5:31 PM
You could do a whole drama based on Kim Ji Suk's characters from dramas before he started being a lead. He was such a great character actor. I would totally watch a drama about his characters in Cheongdam-dong Alice, Personal Taste, and Oh Hae Young Again.
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6 bbstl 🧹
October 8, 2018 at 6:50 PM
🤦🏻♀️ I can't believe you just made me watch part of Love Rain
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frabbycrabsis loves KBS Drama Specials
October 8, 2018 at 11:58 PM
I promise I'll compensate you greatly for your suffering. 😂
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bbstl 🧹
October 9, 2018 at 9:59 AM
My rods! My cones! 😎
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Ally
October 9, 2018 at 8:02 AM
But don’t you want to watch the whole thing now? I’m still fond of it! And I would have written epilogues for the doctor and the chaebol in this too!
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bbstl 🧹
October 9, 2018 at 9:58 AM
ally, was that your first kdrama? What else could explain it? 🤔🤔🤔
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Ally
October 9, 2018 at 1:14 PM
It was actually my second!
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7 blnmom
October 8, 2018 at 7:03 PM
Wait, what? I only watched the first half of Love Rain for SIG and then dropped the rest because I thought he wouldn't be in the second half. Was he?
Those four actors you featured steal every show they're in. I'm waiting for the drama where these four are the bromantic leads. Remake of Gentleman's Dignity, maybe?
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thequiet1
October 8, 2018 at 8:54 PM
If I remember correctly, SIG was in the 'future' part of the drama. He was the nephew of the one of the main character's best friend who was into music (also played by SIG). He sorta went to the cafe/studio/clinic (i cant really remember which) and work there while chasing his dream in becoming a singer, or musician.
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frabbycrabsis loves KBS Drama Specials
October 8, 2018 at 11:57 PM
He had a minor part in both storylines, each in which he was delightfully quirky! 😍
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sph_7
October 9, 2018 at 7:34 PM
He was originally casted for 4 episodes only, but the producer was so happy with his work that he added a character for him in the modern timeline. So because he wasn’t meant to be in the modern story, he didn’t show up until the later half of that story. The modern story was so boring I almost dropped it entirely, until I found out SIG will return. Nonetheless I skipped most of it.
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blnmom
October 9, 2018 at 7:44 PM
Interesting!
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8 RenOIshi
October 8, 2018 at 7:20 PM
Answer Me 1988 was one of my favourite from the series but the exclusion of Dong Ryung in the end was absolutely criminal!!! How could they???
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Tizzy
October 10, 2018 at 9:02 AM
Yes! Plus the fact that Bora and Sunwoo got a wedding but not Duk Seon and Taek.
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RenOIshi
October 10, 2018 at 3:49 PM
YES! I forgot all about that!!!
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9 Mimu
October 8, 2018 at 8:12 PM
@frabbycrabsis Wonderfully written it captivated from the start and I laughed till the end.😂
Thank you for the best epilogue which I could have gotten.💗
It's hard to watch the end if the character we like doesn't get their possible ending at the end. May be that's why I like Whats Wrong With Secretary Kim coz though the show was all about the main caouple but they never failed till the end to keep the focus on side characters too whom I loved.💗
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10 gadis
October 8, 2018 at 8:13 PM
Su-bong from W-Two Worlds not only deserved an awesome epilogue of his own, but also a whole new and much better drama for all he had to go through in that show. At the very least, the writer owed him his sanity and peaceful life from that freaky encounter with No-Face.
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Possum
October 8, 2018 at 11:36 PM
Su-bong’s reactions to No Face really helped sell the whole thing.
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bong-soo
October 9, 2018 at 7:25 AM
NOOOOOONAAAA!!!!!
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11 WishfulToki
October 8, 2018 at 10:10 PM
Dong-ryong! Absolutely, he was my favourite character in R88. Excellent post @frabbycrabsis. And Lol at Go Dok Jae’s head still stuck between the bars. 🤣🤣🤣
Dare I say it, but A Poem A Day could have given us a 20-second epilogue of Alligator washing up on the beach and being reunited with Nam Woo...🐊 and Nam-Woo walking into his new workplace with a hopeful smile on his face (and with Min Ho)...for further reading I recommend the extensive Alligator fanfic on the beanie walls, as well as @greenfields’ poetic epilogue post. 😊
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12 mugyuljoie is preciousss
October 8, 2018 at 11:48 PM
I'm fully onboard with the Kang Ki-young crossover! Thanks for the laugh.
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13 ravennightstar
October 9, 2018 at 3:09 AM
I loved Answer Me 1988 and Weightlifting Fairy! :D
Thanks for the article! It was a funny read... I loved it!
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14 Ally
October 9, 2018 at 7:59 AM
Another “Love Rain” mention! SIG made a huge impression on me in this show. I remember looking him up and telling my husband that he is super famous now, and that this was his first role! Thanks for including him.
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15 Waadmay
October 9, 2018 at 8:59 AM
Congrats frabby on being published 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 .
I enjoyed it so much .
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16 Lady procastinator
October 9, 2018 at 12:08 PM
The one drama where we got a satisfactory epilogue from the memorable supporting characters was Live Up To Your Name.
It was so tantalising that I was almost convinced we would have a second season but alas!
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17 luzitania
October 9, 2018 at 12:36 PM
I agree with everything you just. So many great characters that were supposed to be side characters and ended up stealing our hearts (which is saying something because Answer me 1988 had a lot of amazing performances and Dong-ryong still managed to carve a special place in my heart).
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18 sph_7
October 9, 2018 at 7:47 PM
Love Rain almost bored me to death, and I blame SIG for making me watch it til the very very end.
I love watching Li Si Eon, but besides W other memorable epilogue came to mind: Chief Kim and The Defendant, where he only showed up in the very last scene. Best scene stealer hands down🙌🏻
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19 Fatcat007 (Kitty 💜)
October 10, 2018 at 10:20 AM
Okay thank you for mentioning reply '88, I was planning to do it but glad you did it frabbycrabis.
it is so true that half the members of the friend group were just forgotten in the end. I really wanted to see how the other boys were doing in the end T.T
I never got it.
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frabbycrabsis loves KBS Drama Specials
October 10, 2018 at 11:57 AM
Aw, sorry to steal it from you! Since I only mentioned it in passing, I didn't really get to talk about all the other characters? A really nice epilogue would be the gang in the present revealing they were there all along, and squeezing onto the sofa together like teenagers! XD
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Fatcat007 (Kitty 💜)
October 11, 2018 at 1:36 AM
It doesn't count as stealing since I didn't even wrote about it haha ^^
And I'm glad you did :)
And yep, the epilogue sounds PERFECT 😁
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20 rlg07
October 11, 2018 at 8:23 PM
Thanks to Soo Bong, I'll watch any drama Lee Si Un is in. He should have gotten some kind of award for that--it would not have been the same without his panicky hilarity. Surely Soo Bong did get to meet his manhwa crush. (But probably was speechless and didn't say anything in her presence.) If I remember right, the writer said that after the drama ended, Kang Chul still had the ability to travel back and forth between worlds. Then he could summon people, right? Perhaps he and Yeon Joo had a proper marriage ceremony (where they actually got to show up in person), because her mom would surely like to be there. I would think that he'd bring his close friends from the manhwa over to the real world. I imagine Soo Bong watching from behind, utterly awestruck to see a living, breathing So Hui, lol.
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21 Ashes2Ashes
October 11, 2018 at 9:54 PM
This was so well written .kudos @frabbycrabsis 👌👌👌
Every character you mentioned deserves their own HEA..one of the many things I love about kdramas are these guys and girls who take up the best friend/side kick roles and manage to steal the show and our hearts.It is always sad when they get left behind during the usually strapped for time,gotta squeeze it all in finale but it is heartening that us fans know they are sometimes the special sauce that makes a show cracktastic.
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22 Rukia wants melona
October 12, 2018 at 3:37 PM
Thank you for writing about the characters who are the unsung drama heroes. They are often my favorites too and I love watching actors grow while playing these supporting roles.
I loved reading this, @frabbycrabsis !
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frabbycrabsis loves KBS Drama Specials
October 13, 2018 at 1:13 AM
Aw, thank you! ♥️
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23 SqueakyHammer
October 16, 2018 at 11:19 PM
"Perhaps Kang Ki-young could snap at the end of Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-ju just in time to play the terrifying cat/sibling-murderer in While You Were Sleeping?"
Or maybe always-an-extra-never-a-star Uncle got his big acting break, and the WYWS villain was his first speaking role. And in the Weightlifting Fairy universe he becomes popular in thrillers and crime dramas. He gets *one* role as a quirky comic relief but it seems *so* out of character that he doesn't do it again; but being typecast as psychos and evil masterminds isn't bad work if you can get it so he has a long and lucrative career. =D
Kang Ki-Young is one of my faves. I find myself coming up with headcannons about his characters all the time.
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