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I’ll Find You on a Beautiful Day: Episode 6

This show just keeps getting it right. It manages to be understatedly emotional, focusing on inner conflicts and the complexities of relationships rather than relying on over-the-top dramatics. This hour brings a bit of excitement to our town in the form of the local high school’s 50th anniversary celebration. People flock back to the town to see old friends and classmates, giving some the chance to say the things they left unsaid in the past. For our protagonists, one classmate’s arrival in particular affects them both, although for different reasons.

 
EPISODE 6: “Searching for the Legend”

We start with a flashback to Hae-won’s high school days. Running an errand for a teacher, Hae-won goes over to the gym. The kendo club rushes out as Hae-won arrives, leaving only OH YEONG-WOO (Kim Yeong-dae). “Wait, you’re Mok Hae-won,” he comments to a startled Hae-won. She asks if he knows her, but the rest of the club runs back in to clean up, so she doesn’t get her answer.

Back in the present, Yeong-woo repeats that phrase. He doesn’t explain anything this time either and just asks for directions. Eun-seob offers to show him where the village hall is. Yeong-woo doesn’t take his eyes off Hae-won until he follows Eun-seob out.

Flashing back to high school again, Bo-yeong is shocked to hear Hae-won turned down a good catch who asked her out. She claims he’s one of their school’s “Top 3.” Jang-woo is among their number being from a good background and having the best grades. Hae-won couldn’t be less interested, but Bo-yeong tells her anyway.

She points out Number 1: Yeong-woo. They both find him intimidating. Bo-yeong notes he transferred from Seoul and became the most popular guy in school based on his looks. His background is a mystery. Bo-yeong giggles that none of this matters to her as she already has a crush. Hae-won tries to get her to spill, but Bo-yeong says the identity of her crush is a secret.

Over the following days, Hae-won keeps hearing a male voice calling out to her, but she never finds the owner. One day a boy tells Hae-won Yeong-woo wants to see her. Hae-won is confused but goes to meet him. Yeong-woo orders her to join his group of friends messing around in a forbidden area behind the school like he’s the jerk lead in an old-school drama. (Anyone else getting déjà vu?) Saying nothing, she turns and goes back inside. From then on, he ignores Hae-won and flirts with other girls.

Eun-seob passes by Hae-won fixing her bike after school one night but takes off when Jang-woo comes up. Jang-woo catches up and complains about how his mom is already trying to marry him off since she wants to be a grandmother. Eun-seob clearly isn’t listening and leaves his bike with Jang-woo—who can’t ride a bike—to go check on Hae-won.

He’s a beat too late, and Yeong-woo is already there assisting Hae-won. Yeong-woo looks over and sees Eun-seob standing across the way. Eun-seob turns around and heads home.

At the bookshop, Hae-won comments that Yeong-woo must be there for the reunion—lots of people from out of town are coming. Hae-won and Eun-seob seem more subdued than usual as they head to bed.

Hwi tells Hyun-ji at school the following day that she’s giving up on Yeong-soo. Hyun-ji is confused, thinking Hwi should be more enamored after he swooped in and saved her from being hit. Hwi takes offence and says, “The only one who gets to save me is me!” Ha, no damsel in distress here!

In voiceover, we hear that living in the countryside is boring since you do the same things and see the same people day after day. Things only get lively when people come to visit during New Year’s and Chuseok. Thanks to the high school’s 50th anniversary celebration, they’re getting some extra excitement this year.

Myung-yeo pops more painkillers as the pharmacist advises her again to go see a doctor. She asks if Myung-yeo will go to the reunion. She heard Myung-yeo was famous during her high school years. Myung-yeo thinks reunions are for the successful, not for people like her.

At what seems like the only café in the city, Eun-seob meets Park Hin-dol to return the letters. Ah, it’s the bookshop owner. Looking crestfallen, Hin-dol asks hopefully if Myung-joo said anything else. Eun-seob admits she wanted him to pass along a message, but he refused since it wasn’t anything good. As Hin-dol leaves, in comes Bo-yeong. Seriously, this woman is like a cockroach.

Meanwhile, Hae-won is busy packing her stuff up at the bookshop. Aw, guess she’s moving back to Hodu House. Yeong-woo comes in and wonders if she lives there. She starts to answer that she lives at Hodu House, but he cuts her off with a haughty “I know.” Why even ask then? So rude.

Hae-won struggles with the coffee machine, so Yeong-woo takes over. When they sit with their coffees, Hae-won asks why he’s here if not to buy books. Instead of answering, he throws her question back and asks why she’s here. She informs him she works at the shop.

He shoves over a piece of paper with his number on it and tells her to save it. Hae-won: “I don’t have a cell phone.” Ha. He looks a little dumbfounded at that, like he’s trying to figure out if she’s brazen enough to tell a lie like that just to reject him. She’s taken off guard when he reveals he came to the bookstore just to give her his number.

He smiles to see that she hasn’t changed and states that neither has he. (I can tell.) She wonders what he’s talking about, and he replies that his feelings haven’t changed. She sits silently as he tells her to think it over and give him a call.

After a busy day at the rink, Eun-seob returns to the bookshop. Hae-won happily reports they had three customers. Eun-seob tells her to rest and asks if she’s hungry. His mood takes a dive as she reminds him that she’s moving back today and thanks him for everything. Hae-won grabs her bag and leaves.

As she walks home, she notices a light shining from behind her and turns to Eun-seob with a smile. He gives his usual, adorable explanation: “It’s dark.” Hae-won is practically giddy as he takes her bag and walks her home. They reluctantly part and return to their respective empty homes.

It’s the day of the reunion, and everyone excitedly primps and prepares. Hyun-ji doesn’t get the big deal, but Hwi claims she’ll dress up prettily for her reunion so that Yeong-soo will realize his mistake. Hyun-ji rolls her eyes at Hwi’s antics and points out that she forgot the tablecloths, which sends Hwi running home.

In voiceover, we hear Park Hin-dol reading one of the letters he sent to Myung-joo as everyone gets ready for the big reunion. Apparently, the celebration is camping themed and doesn’t start until nighttime.

Hin-dol talks about a tradition in the Andes regarding Summer Solstice where everyone gathers atop a mountain. While Jang-woo buzzes around overseeing the setup at the school yard, Hin-dol continues narrating. People believe if they arrive at the summit before dusk and confess their love during twilight, it will be realized.

Hae-won rummages through her wardrobe and dons a simple, pretty black dress. She interrupts her aunt’s reading to ask whether she’s coming to the reunion; she isn’t. Hae-won tells Myung-yeo she’s going since it’ll be nice to see her friends and Eun-seob. Ha, like she doesn’t see him all the time anyway.

Myung-yeo comments, “How pretty.” Hae-won blasély responds, “I’m always pretty.” Her aunt clarifies she was talking about the jewelry she’s wearing. Pfft. As Hae-won heads out, Myung-yeo stares after her suspiciously.

Hae-won is surprised to find Yeong-woo waiting for her outside. When he says they should go together, Hae-won automatically looks toward the bookshop before getting in Yeong-woo’s car.

The reunion is packed with graduates from all classes greeting old friends enthusiastically. Hae-won and Yeong-woo arrive just as Jang-woo begins his opening speech for the event. It’s quite the production with the current students helping run pop up cafés, a photo exhibition and tons of food. And at midnight, all the lights will go out.

When Jang-woo gets a minute, he goes over to Eun-seob to gossip that Hae-won came with Yeong-woo. Eun-seob looks surprised but tries to play it off like he doesn’t care. No big deal. Whatever. Jang-woo grins as Eun-seob downs a couple beers.

Hae-won tells a friend that Yeong-woo picked her up, and they laugh as her friend mimics his cool-guy style. The girl Jang-woo denied having a crush on at the last reunion joins them. They see Bo-yeong and her clique across the yard and talk about their pettiness. Hae-won suggests getting coffee to change the subject. Eun-seob has his eye on Hae-won as Jang-woo chatters away.

Hae-won and her friends go inside and check out the yearbook photos. They gasp over how pretty Myung-yeo was. (She still is.) Looking at their own photos, Hae-won asks which class Eun-seob was in. The girls are shocked she didn’t know he was in their class and pity Eun-seob for Hae-won’s lack of attention. Hae-won clarifies she thought he was in a different class in their senior year. Apparently, he missed a lot of classes that year and doesn’t even have a graduation photo.

Hwi suddenly accosts them and pulls them into her café. While looking for Hae-won, Yeong-woo passes by Jang-woo and Eun-seob. Jang-woo laughs that Eun-seob is totally bothered by Yeong-woo, which of course Eun-seob denies.

On her way out of the café, Hae-won asks Hwi where Eun-seob is, but Hwi hasn’t seen him. Hae-won wanders around and ends up in the music room. As she plays the same piece she did in music class, Yeong-woo quietly enters to listen. He’d been in class that day and smiled as she played.

They walk out together, and Yeong-woo shares that he hates this town since it brings up memories of his “scary father.” He tells her he came back just to see her again. She smiles and says she’s honored. Hae-won admits she used to hate it here too after everyone turned on her.

They pass a “no trespassing” sign, and Hae-won claims she used to be afraid of it. She always thought she’d become “that type of person” if she entered. He wonders what type of person she means, making her smile. She says he’s one of them, so he should know. A person who lives in a different world.

Hae-won confides that he saved her back then. We flash back to when Hae-won was bullied and ostracized. To everyone’s shock, Yeong-woo had sat at her table in the half-empty cafeteria (while blasting AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell”). He’d told her the obvious lie that he sat there since there weren’t any seats.

After that, she had girls coming up to her to ask if she was dating Yeong-woo and wanting to be her friend. They even invited her shopping. Yeong-woo smiled as he watched Hae-won talking and laughing with the girls in the hallway. Okay, you were getting on my nerves, but I like you a little better now, Yeong-woo.

Hae-won tells him in the present that he’s like a flower that blossomed in the fall. She’d been like a desert, but she became a garden. We see her classmates including her as they talk and joke. Hae-won attributes the situation to being only 18 at the time.

Jang-woo’s voice echoes over the intercom instructing everyone to gather as the lights will be going off soon. Yeong-woo starts to say something, but Hae-won interrupts that she doesn’t want to know however he might feel about her now. He asks if there’s someone else and can tell by her face there is.

She smiles and says there’s someone who’s warm and makes her feel warm when she’s with him. It wasn’t until she came back that she realized how cold she’d been. They’re interrupted by her friends yelling over to her, but she tells them to go on ahead.

Hae-won tells Yeong-woo she’d been wanting to thank him if she ever got the chance. “Thank you, Yeong-woo.” He decides not to go to the lights-out ceremony, so she walks over alone.

Hae-won goes searching through the crowd, remembering the times Eun-seob lit her path and how he’d fixed the nearby streetlight that went out. Hae-won is still running around trying to find Eun-seob when Jang-woo begins the ten second countdown.

Suddenly, she hears her name. Hae-won turns and sees Eun-seob coming toward her. She runs down the stairs, and we get a montage of their moments together. They stop a few feet away from each other.

Hae-won stares at him, filled with emotion. Right as he asks if something’s wrong, the lights go out. “I like you,” Hae-won confesses in the dark. “I like you, Im Eun-seob,” she reiterates.

 
COMMENTS

I kinda figured Hae-won would be the one to make the first move once she was sure of her feelings. I really like her directness. She was firm yet kind with Yeong-woo, clearly letting him know what she wanted. Then, she immediately told Eun-seob how she felt. She took the first step, but now Eun-seob needs to step up too. Since she sprung it on him, I’m worried about his reaction. When you’ve wanted something for so long, it’s easy to be at a loss when you actually get it, especially if you never thought you would. He’s liked her for so many years, it’s probably become more of a fantasy for him than a possible reality.

I love the slow, steady progression of the romance in that it really showcases what they mean to each other and why. Oftentimes, I find it hard to get behind a romance because I’m not sure why I should be rooting for them. What makes them good for each other and their relationship sustainable? But with these two, it’s clear that they are better together than apart. They offer one another support and comfort, coaxing each other out of their shells. It’s lovely to see the connection they’ve built and the little changes they’ve brought about in each other.

I was worried that the introduction of Yeong-woo would lead us into the dramatic love triangle dramas love so much. I did have faith in the show, as it’s done a great job with character development and stayed away from doing things just for the sake of drama. But whenever I see a potential love triangle, I get suspicious. Thankfully, it was handled beautifully here. I loved how they set Yeong-woo up like your typical douchey male lead, ordering around the girl he likes and expecting everything to fall at his feet. His entitlement and self-absorption made me dislike him initially, but then we find out what he did for Hae-won at school. Not only did he single-handedly change the entire school’s opinion of her, but he didn’t take credit for it. He just wanted to see her happy. Then, when Hae-won turned him down at the reunion, he took the rejection maturely. Although he was disappointed, he didn’t push or act like he knew better than she did. We were set up to expect him to do exactly what Hae-won expressed she hated last episode—not take no for an answer and disrespect her wishes. Instead, he calmly accepted her decision.

Speaking of what Yeong-woo did for Hae-won, it’s amazing how such a small action, like sitting at the same table, could completely change everyone’s perception. High school is like society dialed up to 11. All it took for Hae-won to be accepted again was to have positive rumors start about her and the most popular boy in school. Thank goodness it changed with something so simple, and she got to end her high school experience on a better note.

I realized I haven’t talked about Hwi at all, so I wanted to give her a shoutout. The girl’s a lot, but I love how confident and self-respecting she is. She’s not shy about who she is or what she wants. The way they subverted the typical trope of a girl swooning over a guy protecting her was great. Hwi was not about some guy stepping in and fighting her fight. Also, it’s nice to see a teenager just being a kid in all her messy glory rather than the glossy way teens (often played by adults) are frequently portrayed in entertainment. Kind of unrelated fun fact: Lee Jae-wook is only four years older than Kim Hwan-hee who plays Hwi, while he’s 12 years younger than Park Min-yeong. I just … how?

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YES! Kim Young Dae just got the same role! HAHAHAHA. (but isn't it weird that KYD, LJW, SKJ, and PMY are the same age??? KYD and LJW seem like babies to me!)

This drama is so endearing so far - I really like how introspective it is!

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It's funny how Kim Young Dae got the same role -- the characteristic of a male lead -- but in both roles, he's not >.<

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Right?? I feel like this drama did his character good! (I love Extraordinary You, but goodness his character deserved better than what he was given)

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Didn't get to finish EY so I'm not sure how he's character ended but this one handled this trope better than I've watched from other dramas

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let's just say his characters ending was full of strawberries ;)

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Yeong-woo still gives me pause because he almost hit hae won with that Kendo stick on purpose . I don’t think we have seen the last of him.. we shall see how his character develops but I’m not liking him so far.. although he’s cute.. also, the actor playing Yeong-woo has a small lisp.. I noticed it in extraordinary you too

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I got the impression Yeong-woo was done for the show. I don't see his character going anywhere after the rejection. But I won't complain if he stays on screen for some more time :D

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He is marked as supporting cast online.. If he was a one timer, they would say " Cameo" I think.. I think he has a bigger role to play..

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Got it. Yes, makes sense. I didn't check for how he was listed in the cast.

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I don't particularly like Yeong-woo, but I understand him because I have met guys like him... guys where it can be 10 or 20 years later but they are still at the same emotional level they were in high school, and hung up on the same girls even though those girls have long since moved on.

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Yes, he bothered me somewhat because he seemed a little violent.. I dont think he is going to give up so easily, there is a scene where Hae Won says she doesnt like people who keep trying after she said No because they dont respect her feelings.. She said some people see that as romantic but she doesnt.. I think that little speech will tie to his character. I dont think he is going to give up so easily.. this may annoy Hae Won

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When Hae-won said she's a cold person, I first thought she meant she's cold-hearted. I've always thought they are all the same in the family, cold and have walls built between them and other people. Later on, I realized she probably meant she's cold as in she's been feeling cold and needing warmth. She also said 차가웠어 which is cold but associated to like wind and chill as opposed to 추웠어 which is cold but solid like ice.

I'm so glad she told Eun-seob straight out. Now, the ball is in Eun-seob's court but knowing him, he'll either run away from the ball or stare at it for a million years.

Also so invested in Hwi and her crush. It's so cute! So high school! And holy wow, I did not know Jang-woo is that young. I feel weird.

Anyway, I'm excited for next week!

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The thing is, she's lacking in the warmth of other people. Her aunt is great and all (The Best of the Bichin-nomi), but she's never around and never affectionate. She's so estranged from her mother, who insists on being opaque about her thoughts and feelings. When you compare Hodu House to Eun-seob's bookshop, it's obvious. One is big and tidy and dark, it gives off the impression of coldness. The other is lit beautifully and cluttered, it feels like home. It shows Hae-won what she was missing. Eun-seob feels like home, and I love that.

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Also the colours: Bookshop is full of oranges and warm coulours that invite to stay, and Hodu House is full of metallic colours.

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Yes to all of this. The shot of sterile Hodu-house , MW's lackluster "I'm home" when she re-entered and the cut back to the book store she left behind in all it's warm glory were enough to let us in on what these two places meant to her. That little home coming sentence broke me a little..it was the same sentence she used in ep1,but the tone is more dejected because she knows no one will answer 'oh wasso' :(

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Yeah, equally, I thought the part where ES goes around saying Hae-won-ah, but doesn't find her, was also really well done. It subtly shows how they're getting used to each other's presence.

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The way Hodu House is lit is plain creepy.

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This episode answered a question I had about Hae Won. She was bullied and still she didn't have issue to go to their class reunion with ES and JW. It was pretty weird because she should have hated them. But thanks to Yeong-woo, the bully stopped and it's why she has good memories from highschool too.

I wa so happy that HW confessed her feelings! They both need each other.

Until now, I have more questions about ES than answers. First, we know he "disapeaed" during 3 years and now he wasn't there for the picture of his class and missed a lot of school. Why?!?

I agree with you @quirkycase Hwi is very cute! I love her energy!

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Hwi reminds me of a fox terrier... Pint size but a big ball of chaotic energy... God bless her for it...

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This episode made me sigh all the time.
We’ve learned more about HaeWon, and discovered why she went to school reunion after what BoYoung had done. I was glad to know she had friends in her last year. Also, a new mystery has appeared: what happened to EunSeob during that last year?
And YeongWoo was fantastic: he was supposed to be the typical popular student but he turned out to be HaeWon’s savior back then. I like him, although I don’t think we will hear of him again.

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I know, right?! Noona much, PMY? ^^

Kim Young Dae is also younger than PMY by 10 years. She looks young, but at the same time, the guys also make it up by looking and acting older.

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I am also pleasantly surprised by how Yeong-woo's role was handled ^^ I liked how his appearance acted more of a reveal of her past rather than a complicated love triangle as well~ The overall tone of this drama is like a nice cup of tea. I like how it's slow-paced, but feels warm. Like these characters.

Also sidenote: I'm in love with all her outfits. They look so cozy/comfortable yet cute. Like, can I have her wardrobe?

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All of PMY dramas have her in some enviable outfits.. I would love to steal some of them if possible

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There's a Instagram page called @kdrama_fashion that shares her outfits and where they're from - a warning though, the prices are not for the faint-hearted ;)

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I know that's why I said I would steal if I could... 😂😂😂😂

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For the first few episodes, it felt like I was seeing PMY act with the combination of all her roles before (or maybe I've seen her too much?) but this episode felt different. I was seeing Hae-won and no longer PMY. Also, SKJ is growing on me.

Glad that LJW is cleared as the second male lead, riiiight? Can this show not have any more 2nd leads? Please?

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I feel this is pretty standard for PMY's acting... she usually starts a little rough but then gets comfortable with her character and we don't see "PMY acting" any more.

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That could be true. Especially with the consecutive dramas she's doing.

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The silence in this show is a character in its own right. In contrast, LJW and Hwi seem to have the most dialogue, and both are great fun in their own right. Even Yeong-Woo seemed to be the silent type. That said, Yeong-Woo's line to MHW about there being no seats left in the cafeteria was a lot like ES's "it's dark" line, and made me laugh a bit.

The reunion setting was so pretty! LJW did a good job organizing everything single-handedly. I also liked his MC-ing - he curbed his tendency to just the right amount of verbosity, and was appropriately entertaining :)

The teaser shows that ES will wander off again. But why does he do it? Is it the confession, or is it something else altogether? I

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That's a perfect way to describe this show. There's meaning in the silence.

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I had the exact same thoughts about LJW as a wonderful MC.

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and thank you @quirkycase for a super-fast recap!

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It was so fast that I was saving it for tonight as usually it comes up on saturday! Still no time to watch until like 2 am in the morning, looking forward to it.

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So Young-woo is the reason why Hae-won acted so chummy with Eun-seob's friends at their high school reunion in Episode 1 despite being an outcast. Her rumors and bullying only lasted until 11th grade. Hae-won's confession happened quick; it's only Episode 6. Shoutout to Jang-woo for tirelessly organizing this extravagant reunion. I felt so sorry for him last episode when he was confessed how exhausted he was, then played it off with a smile. I hope Jang-woo gets a love line Eun-shil.

Hwi is a trip. She calls Eun-seob and Jang-woo by their first names. I can't understand why Hwi is an outcast at school. Sorry, Hwi, but I ship her crush Young-soo with Hyun-ji. They're both so blunt and nonchalant. I love Chu Ye-jin's acting.

Obligatory hate Kim Bo-young.

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I agree on shipping Young-soo with Hyun-ji - I've been doing that from the start. Even though I really like Hwi's character, I don't see that pairing with Young-soo work out. Hwi deserves a different story arc, something special and unique that matches her energy.

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In Episode 3 when Hwi hid behind the wall to stalk her crush at the bus stop and he surprisingly waved in their direction, I totally thought Young-soo was waving at Hyun-ji. I figured with Hyun-ji going around gathering information about him for Hwi, it would eventually come back to Young-soo that Hyun-ji was asking around about him. The boy probably doesn't even know her, yet I already think he likes her.

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Hwi is an outcast because she's weird. She wears bright colours when nobody else does. She speaks banmal to everyone. She is bright and vibrant and yeah I'm gonna frakking use this word, quirky.
Teenagers don't like weird. They don't like different. They don't like non conformists. Take it from someone who knows.
They don't know what to do with someone like Hwi, so she becomes a fringe person.

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She's a free spirit, it's why I love her!

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I love her too. She's incorrigible, but in a good way ^-^

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Yeah, she's not a rebel and angry teenager.

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Totally agree. She's decided she's comfortable with herself, something an average teenager is not.

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Sigh... it's always the adults who love and appreciate the "unique" one... adults who can't really do much about the loneliness that comes along with that lifestyle. That book club, though... such a brilliant idea.

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You nailed her. I love everything about her - except when she throws that expensive bike on the ground. I cringe every time.
But her character is so much fun with how she is totally herself with no filters.

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Still can't decide if I thought the confession was too early or not. On the one hand- yes. On the other hand- not at all. But my biggest problem is I can't really back up why for either... lol. And that doesn't happen very often.
So let me try.

Yes- too early:
I feel like I don't know enough about either of them OR how they act around each other yet. I'm getting there, and there are some great moments, but I need MORE of them together. Especially ES because he's still basically an enigma and I really felt the absence of focus on him these episodes (because I love him and want more of him). I guess I feel like it needed more of a lead up to the albeit wonderful line of "I found someone warm", episode 8 would've been perfect (if cliched) but shit even just one more episode of character build up then I might find it easier to get my head round??

No- not too soon:
This is a frakking weirdly paced drama anyway so it doesn't matter, half the episodes are deliberately arranged flashbacks for slow reveals about the past and a character- plus the way she kept LOOKING for him and going to him and choosing and focusing on him this episode was really well done, and the whole lights thing was gorgeous. And it almost, ALMOST, doesn't need anymore build up than "I was cold and I found a warm person"???
Plus I feel like they're not gonna have an automatic resolution to it, but play off the suddenness and awkwardness and realise that and use it as a development point and if they do that WELL it could all be fine!!!

BUT BUT BUT that's just it, it's a SLOW reveal drama, so I guess I was surprised they had a confession here and now.
Gosh I don't know. What do you think?

P.S. I loved, LOVED the scene where YW throws out the water and then sits his phone in it to make a makeshift speaker and rock music starts blasting and everyone looks at him like he just sprouted two heads to sit opposite her??? This show is really good and painting one shot scenes that stick in your head and give you so much information and emotion from so little said.

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I am going with the "it was perfectly timed" theory. She is smarter than we give her credit. The seeds were sown in her head at the batch mates dinner, when ES revealed his crush. Over the days, she has put all the little pieces together, and sees that it's not just one-way, and I'm quite sure she is confident that her confession is going to be reciprocated.

The story really doesn't have too much going for it other than the OTP eventually coming together. So, if they had spent more time dawdling, it might have been too much of a tease.

And oh I agree - the vignettes are just superb. Hind-dol on the bus with Myeong joo. I'd love to see a backstory for Myeong-yeo as well. She seems like such a crazy, fun yet strange person.

Also - unconnected - I like how Myeong-yeo and LJW seem to have sensed there is something up between the two leads. MY looks strangely at Hae-won every time she talks of ES. And LJW just needles ES till he's ready to burst.

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Remember that the first day she worked in the bookshop, she put make up and her aunt asked: "where are you going", and she was already smiling...

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Also... Hae-won knows that Bo-yeong is interested in Eun-Seob; she knows Bo-yeong inside and out, and just like back in high school she does not want Bo-yeong to get the guy. Some might say it was spiteful, when in high school she deliberately sat with Eun-Seob, knowing that Bo-yeong had a crush on him, but I was glad to see she had some spirit and wasn't just going to roll over and take Bo-yeong's treachery like some Candy. I gave her a virtual fist bump.

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So, you know what, I know a lot of people are hating on Bo-yeong, but I feel like I'm in a minority. I don't hate her. She's clearly not the brightest star on the horizon, because she hasn't figured out the extent to which she scarred Hae-won. But to say she was mean and awful and treacherous, or whatever - I'm not sold on that characterization. Sure, Bo-yeong is important for HW's character development, but as herself, she's peripheral to the story.

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*because I love him and want more of him*
Ever since I saw him in Cheese in the Trap.
And his EunSeob is by far the character that has impressed me the most.

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The confession took me by surprise as well, but it makes sense that now that she has vocalised her like , HW would rush to confess to ES. our girl isn't on to let things be (well except when it comes to her mother). She has been interested in ES 's love life ever since the Irene situation. Plus she knows ES had a crush on her and as we saw in the flash back ,all his actions afterward have screamed 'I like like you'. So in her head, she's finally there with him and is letting him know asap.

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At the pace of this drama @sicarius I would say the confession probably is too early. There is still a lot to learn about the characters and ideally the confession would come around episode 18 of 24.

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@quirkycase... You know I was with all way to the end of the post.. Then u put out those age facts... And now my mind is boggled😵😵😵

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Did you watch Search : WWW? It was more mind blowing :p

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It's on my list... The directing choices when the focus was on the main leads put me off it... But maybe I'll try again... Those bubble and rose tints just looked ridiculous

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I couldn't go through most of the shows beanies loved so much last year. I got annoyed and was slightly reading just beanies posts and recaps. They were great. I tried again and still... But this show is a treat to me...

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For me, the main couple was not the best love story. I like the FL for her job.

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This show!
There's just a magic to this show.
It shouldn't work - the pieces of the plot should be warring against each other. A tragic murderous backstory, a quiet romance, a potentially ill aunt, rowdy teenagers, broken friendships.
But it does work. I leave every episode a little happier than the last. I love wolf-boy Eun-seob and thoughtful fighter Hae-won. I love how delicately the show touches on the past. I love the snowy days and warm bookshops and little shows of kindness.

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Yassss to Hwi, I adore her. I love the fact that she gives up on her crush because he defended her and she has her pride. She is a great character. Yup, PMY is noonaing to the max in this series, I noted in the one of the earlier recaps that she has SKJ by 7 years, and he is the eldest of the guys.

That being said I loved how she straight up told Young Woo, listen, I'm not interested nor do I care how you feel, I like someone else period. Bloody freaking refreshing.

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Yes, and also, it was refreshing to see a guy accepting she's not interested in him.
And it was nice that HaeWon can just say "thanks" to Young Woo and not feeling obliged to anything else.
And after all, if Young Woo only wanted HaeWon life to get better (like he knew it would when he seated by her side in the cafeteria), when he heard that phrase "there's someone who's warm and makes me feel warm", he knew it.

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Off topic: On ep18 of PMY’s 7-day queen and I while I went in fully prepared to get my heart broken, I did not do so with some real, equally depressing self-isolation on the cards. World still had its shit together (relatively anyway) when I started watching. Damn. Anyway, if you read my rant, thanks for listening.

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Woah, so. many. feelings. after this episode. Thanks for a brilliant recap @quirkycase!

I'm just going to start with the end - Hae-Won's "I like you." I was thinking hmm we're only on episode 6 how are we going to maintain the tension... but I thought about it and I think it probably happened at the right time. Loving someone is all well and good, but being in a place where you can actually be with them in a healthy way is a different story. From what we can see, Eun-Seob has some stuff to sort out, they both probably do, if they want to embark on a mature, long-lasting relationship. If, as the preview suggests, Eun-Seob runs scared from the confession, it's definitely true to his character so far. He's got ten more episodes to come round - we believe in you ES!

Man, this is new for me. Usually I'm like it's a K-drama, who cares if it's realistic, just make them kiss please - this show is a whole new world ;)

Hwi - love her! Adore how instead of swooning at the dude's feet for sticking up for her she's like nope, I want to be my own hero. Boy bye. But it's clear he's going to figure out, if he hasn't already, what an utter gem she is.

Yeong-woo was a lovely suprise. He's a nuanced character with his own painful backstory, not some over-the-top love rival, and I really enjoyed his scenes with Hae-won. Particularly the school flashback scene - the little look of empathy on his face when he sees her eating alone, and of course blasting out Highway to Hell, lolz.

I'm going to finish this with some shameless fangirling about the adorableness of Eun-Seob's barely contained jealousy at the reunion. I had to laugh at him knocking back Jang-woo's brewskies all like, "I'm. Fine."

Yeah ES, you certainly are.

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Yeong Woo's story line certainly has subverted some of the tropes so far. However I am not too sure if he is as amiable to leave HW to her designs as he appeared to be.

In older dramas YW would 'get' the girl. I loved that MW 'thank you,no thank you'd' him in the teen years and in the present. When that cycle scene was shown in the past, i was surprised that ES had passed her by without offering help. The guy's love language screams offering services in the present but put it down to him being a self conscious 18 year old at that time. But in this ep, we see that he did go back but YW had gotten there first. again older dramas would have ES pegged as a Second Lead on that factor alone but here again the show surprises us. The reversal of first lead Vs second lead charactetistics once again makes me compare this one to "A poem a day"

More importantly, if he had that moment of connection with HW at a time when she was ostracized by everyone else, it would have taken their relationship in a different direction altogether. as it was soon after that MW gained friends thanks to YW (and highway to hell) and ES slipped from her radar as he apparently started skipping school

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Oh yes, interesting comment on the reversal of first lead vs. second lead. I think you're right, the way YW looked at Hae-Won when she thanked him - I don't think he's going to give up on her just yet!

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I had to rewatch the confession because I wanted to confirm she said it out loud instead of in her head. This show is so quiet, you see.

But OMG, the fun fact blew my mind!!

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Hello, I'm new to this site but not to this drama. It has become my favorite thing to watch. It's definitely a slow smoldering burn, and I love it. They keep leaving me hanging and I love it. Does anyone else feel that with Eun-seob, still waters run deep? He may be shy now, but when we get to the first kiss, he just may knock all of our respective socks off. He's been fantasizing about this for over a decade.
This will not be a peck on the lips.

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From your voice to the Dramagods' ears!

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I'm glad to see that I talked this into existence. lol. ES seems to really enjoy kissing. He also does it very well..... lol

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LOL oh you got me imagining things. Now I can't wait for their first kiss. 😂😍

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This is such a perfect drama for such a time! With the chaos that is the corona virus, this drama feels like a bit of relief for me. It's so slow, so deep, so warm... I can't wait for nxt week! We spent the first 6 episodes on Hae Won, I think starting nxt week we'll have more on Eun Seop and I can't wait to know moee abt him. Lastly, I appreciate Hwi and Hyun Ji friendship. It is rarely portrayed. The kind of friendship where you dnt talk to each other all the time or you dnt see each other all the time but you know you can count on each other. Plus, they both seem like very confident and aware teenagers which I really appreciate.

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I've said this before but I'll say it again.. this drama isn't for anybody who is looking for grand plots and extravagant display of romance.. This is for those who'd love the quiet unfolding of a more than a decade-long love story between two broken people finding warmth and healing in each other. It's mundane.. slow.. yet feels just right. If you're looking for something like that, then you've found the right drama to watch.

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The slow pace, the quiet moments and the interesting surprise that Oh Yeong-woo turned out to be are all working quite nicely in this drama.

Thanks for the recap!

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This drama has a warmth that I savor so much.

I love that Hae Won confessed to Eun Seob first. And she did it the instant she realized she liked him. No hesitation. No wavering.
I don't think he would have taken that first step.

The reunion looked absolutely wonderful. The camping theme with all of the beautiful lights was already lovely, but it was extra sweet to see the current high school students involved with their own mini cafes and fairs. Such a heartwarming event.

I haven't seen Kim Young Dae before.... His deep voice <3 He gave a nice first impression from this role. I love what the writer did with his story.

She’d been like a desert, but she became a garden.

The imagery is so beautiful.

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It would be funny if Do-Hwa's actor turned out to be the the other top 3 student along with LJW and OYW. The reunion of A3! JTBC loves EY actors so much. I saw Hye-yoon and Ro-woon in 2 of their variety shows. Finally we will learn more about Eun-seob in the next episodes. He is my favorite character in this drama.

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JTBC promoted Danoh - Haru couple way better than MBC :p

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This show is just so well written. At this point the romance has developed in such a natural way- and Quirkycase is so right to say that the writer has done such a good job in showing us why these two belong together. Of course with ten more episodes to go we will see the story stretched out- but I hope that the stretching will come in the form of filling in the other stories in this drama- and of course we still need to fill in Eun-seob's backstory too.

I hope that the writer can give us more of Hwi and her crush, make Hae-won's aunt finally seek treatment. And just maybe beautiful Miss Choi Min-Jung will realize that the brilliant Lee Jang-Woo is exactly who she needs in her life.

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I hesitate to say this since everyone, including myself, is really enjoying this show so much, and no one has brought it up so far. But I think now that one confession has come, and ES will have to make his big reveal about Irene soon, I can try and put this out there:

Is there anyone who feels that Eun-sob's decade-long crush on Hae-won is low-key creepy and stalkerish? The "Good night Irene" notes in his diary entries, the hanging ornament in the car, the drunken admission... To me, this feels like grey territory, and it's not just any ole ornery crush.

*slinks away in case this raises a storm*

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Oh absolutely)🙋If Eun Seob wasn't presented to us in all his book loving glory (and let's face it played by SJK) with those beautiful filters,we would all be shouting at Hae won to run for the hills. As it stands, I did at couple of points wonder how the show would be if at mid point it is revealed that ES is a creepy mountain boy stalker 😁. I am hoping his fascination with her would make more sense as his side of the story would unfold. I have a theory about it.the show makes a habit of unfolding flash backs to show us more as time goes on. I was hoping that in the lab when MW finds out about BY s betrayal, ES was also in there and heard of her mother's past and her raw reaction.My guess is that he also has some similar trauma (the guy in the photo aka his bio dad?) and thus formed an even stronger connection with her.
And then close to the year, he seemed to have disappeared. So at the time , she was the wounded girl he was interested in and there she stayed as a romantic Irene version. Him writing about her is less creepy to me. the guy s clearly a writer and she s the girl next door that has always been an enigma(Estella to his Pip in some ways) what's creepish is the key chain in the car . Trusting the show to reveal his prior attachment to her in a satisfying way🤞

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Hah that would be interesting - if ES were in the lab at the same time. The show has this habit of revealing the complete picture in bits and pieces, so it's not an impossibility. But yeah, the key chain in the car thing is a little disturbing. Let's hope the closure addresses all this!

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Hah, fair enough! That's another valid way of looking at it for sure. I don't think it's creepy personally, as it doesn't seem like he has ever overstepped any boundaries with her. Intensity-wise however, yes, it's maybe not some ordinary crush, but I do think it's believable that an introspective, sensitive person would nurse a crush for so long like this. Perhaps he think it's never ever going to happen, so the keyring, the diary entries are just small things he "allows" himself. What @ashes2ashes says rang true for me - we need the writers to show his attachment as deeper than a teenage fixation - either that or we need to see his feelings move from "she's a fantasy" to "she's a real person with flaws and I still like her." I think the writers will do a good job either way!

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Fingers crossed on this. I'm enjoying this more than usual, so I'm hoping the writers will fix it indeed :D

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Our wolf-boy is definitely a walking archaic cliche, but I feel like there's time to show more sides of him. The reason he's so likeable despite what I'm any other show could be elements of obsession, I feel, is Seo Kang-joon.

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*I'm sure any other show

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Oh definitely with you on the SKJ factor 😉! Now that I think more about it, we already have a parallel of what ES's connection would have looked to the outside world eventually had HW not returned and personally engaged with him... The book store ahjushi and his idealisation of MW's mother...The guy's writing letters to a woman that he seem to have briefly known when they were barely adults! the power of the human mind to forge a connection is awe inspiring and terrifying at the same time. It's what make us empathetic but can easily turn into a scary obsession depending on the circumstances

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Good catch. Yes, that bookstore ahjusshi seems like an obsession gone completely off, unless something else happened in the intermediary years between them that we don't have complete information about, which might justify the behaviour.

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Thanks for the quick recaps, @quirkycase
It's weird that for such a slow drama, it made me marathon all 6 episodes in two days :D
Homecoming, old love, winter blues,bookstores..what more can we ask for in erm the newly isolated world.
Hwi appreciation post: I lorve the two teenage girls in the show but Hwi is a special kind of weird. The girl has no filter and is gloriously self centered in a way that only teens can be. But what's unique s how self aware she is , and how little she cares about what anyone thinks of her, including her crush.💃♥️
Eun Seob's past: I agree with many beanies theory that ES is adopted. The first hint that ES might be different comes from Hwi who says in the 1st EP, that she s also shocked by how different she looks from her brother and then on another occasion asking her family if ES is adopted leading to some awkward throat clearing from the adults. Then there is the way he addresses his devoted 'ommoni' Vs Hwi s affronted 'omma'. Sure it could be Hwi being Hwi but there is an almost desperate look of wanting to get through an invisible barrier when their mother turns to him. Like ES once told MW,some people live their lives within the walls of their mind letting no one in. For ES the safe haven on the mountains could be his actual family home where he returns to from time to time,much like MW..expecting nothing but still making the dutiful motions.Me thinks his 3 year dipping could be linked to the man in th photo(aka birth father) coming back to his life
Of course we could all be wrong and ES's isolation and apparent disappearances on the cusp of adult hood could easily be explained away by the most logical explanation: Were wolf. That will show the viewers disappointed by the slow pace. next 10 episodes filled with werewolf-ing anyone? 😉

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OMG, if this turned into a werewolf show lol. To be fair, who knows!

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Thanks @ashes2ashes. I do remember the picture of Eun-seob with the man but I didn’t pick up on the adopted angle. Slow on the uptake.

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hahaha werewolves would be take it to a whole new level... imagine the hate this would generate.

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Kind of unrelated fun fact: Lee Jae-wook is only four years older than Kim Hwan-hee who plays Hwi.....

REALL?!!!! wow!

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I don’t know if anyone else gets this vibe. I feel or see a little bit of Seo Kang-joon’s character Joon-young in THE THIRD CHARM in his portrayal of Eun-seob. It looks like there is some kind of trauma in his life that has to be explored and resolved. Hae-wan is slowly starting to grapple with her traumas.

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So finely I found time to watch it and it was such soothing. With that preview at the end I'm looking to find out if he'd disappeared into the wild right after the bicycle episode or the lunch or something else had him to look for answers.

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It is finally taking shape. I really like how the show has come to an emotionality that feels so real and so fresh. This love story was what I needed in my quarantine days.
I look forward to seeing how they travel their path, strengthening and strengthening their ties.

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I really REALLY love her white coat during the whole reunion scene but I've looked everywhere and can't figure out what brand it is - I can't even find a decent look a like. I think it's the same coat as the main girl wore in "find me in your memory"(but hers was pink) ....still cant find it though.

Help???

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