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Was It Love: Episode 7

Try as she might, our producer can’t seem to outrun her past as old friends and lover return to her life and dig up shared memories. Though she might be able to avoid answering their questions at the moment, eventually she will have to confront her own feelings, both her past and present ones, in order to bring closure to those around her.

 
EPISODE 7 RECAP

Dae-oh confesses his feelings to Ae-jung, and she stares at him speechless. She suddenly bursts into laughter and calls him a liar. How could the great Cheon Eok-man like an evil villain such as her? She returns his jacket and tells him that these actions don’t suit him.

Yeon-woo arrives at the event, too, and spots Ae-jung making a beeline towards the restroom. He calls after her, but Bo-hye grabs him first. She gushes about her handsome son and drags him away to introduce him to the others.

Alone at the bar, Dae-oh shoves ice cubes into his mouth to cool down from his rejection when Ah-rin joins him. She asks if Ae-jung is alright, but to her surprise, Dae-oh shows more concern for her—completely the opposite response from earlier.

Bo-hye interrupts their conversation, and Ah-rin introduces Dae-oh to her management company CEO. However, Dae-oh’s eyes are glued to Yeon-woo who pretends to meet him for the first time. Dae-oh asks if they saw their producer, Ae-jung, and Yeon-woo realizes that the woman he saw was her. He excuses himself from the group, and Bo-hye chases after her son.

Ae-jung leaves the event since her outfit is ruined, and her mind wanders back to Dae-oh’s confession. While she mumbles about his crazy words, Yeon-woo catches her in the lobby and escorts her out of the hotel despite her refusal. Bo-hye arrives in time to see her son with someone else, but her other duties prevent her from following them.

Yeon-woo takes Ae-jung to a shop and offers to buy her new clothes as well as a pair of shoes since her heels have caused blisters. She refuses his gifts, but from her tone, it’s not just those that she’s declining. Yeon-woo catches on but tells Ae-jung that these are just items. She finally smiles at his antics and lets him buy them.

CEO Song calls Manager Myung into her office and confronts him about Ryu Jin’s impromptu school lecture. Ae-jung is clearly in the photo, and CEO Song asks if this is the reason for Ryu Jin’s involvement. Meanwhile, Ryu Jin practices his greetings to Ah-rin, but even while pretending, he can’t force himself to wish her well. Heh.

Ryu Jin finds Dae-oh standing outside the women’s restroom, and Dae-oh explains that he was looking for Ae-jung. He sighs, deciding to leave the event as well, but as soon as he turns the corner, he comes back to vent to Ryu Jin. Dae-oh repeats this process a few times before Ryu Jin finally tells him to choose one, so Dae-oh replies, “Can’t we go together?”

The two of them end up at a neighborhood bar, and Dae-oh tells Ryu Jin about his confession to Ae-jung. Ryu Jin looks shaken by Dae-oh’s profession of love and reminds him of Ae-jung’s daughter. Dae-oh stares right at him and says that he’s serious. His response is the final straw, and Ryu Jin leaves, claiming that there are too many eyes on him.

Pa-do drops by Thumb Film to see Ae-jung, but only Hye-jin is there. He hands her an envelope to help with casting Ah-rin, but Hye-jin tells him that they already got her on board. A step too late, Pa-do returns home and tells Director Kim that he might join the PTA. Director Kim wonders what caused this sudden change in behavior, and Pa-do tells him that it’s because of a friend.

At home, Ae-jung remembers Dae-oh’s confession, still calling it a farce, and ignores his incoming call. Drunk and obstinate, Dae-oh dials her number again while waiting outside her house until Yeon-woo comes out. He gets up to confront the teacher, but Yeon-woo brushes past him without a word.

Dae-oh follows him to a basketball court and keeps picking a fight, asking why a rich kid is playing “commoner.” Yeon-woo drops his ball and admits to Dae-oh that he likes Ae-jung. He turns the question back to Dae-oh and asks why he keeps pestering her. Dae-oh tells him that he’s trying to get closer to her like they were in the past.

Hearing his response, Yeon-woo glares back at him since he was the one who hurt Ae-jung all those years ago. Dae-oh tells him that he was the one who was hurt and grabs Yeon-woo by his lapels. As emotions run high, Yeon-woo throws the first punch, and the two men tussle on the ground. In the end, their fight dissolves into hair-pulling and biting.

The next morning, Dae-oh wakes up in pain but finds comfort in the thought that Yeon-woo must be in worse condition. Alas, Yeon-woo looks fine except for a busted lip, and he digs through a drawer for some ointment. When Ae-jung sees his wound, she helps him apply some medicine, and Yeon-woo smiles, happily declaring that he won.

While Ae-jung wonders what’s wrong with Yeon-woo, Grandma comes up to her and asks if she threw away a notebook recently. She opens a drawer to get it, but the notebook is gone since Ha-nee stole it back.

She hides the notebook under her puppy’s bed, and Sook-hee comments on how she acts like the puppy’s mom. Ha-nee calls herself both a mom and a dad, which makes Sook-hee laugh because it’s the same thing Ae-jung says all the time.

Thinking of Ae-jung, Sook-hee says that being a mom and a dad requires a lot of sacrifice. Her words catch Ha-nee’s attention, and Sook-hee tells her that after giving everything up, Ha-nee was the last thing Ae-jung had.

Reverting back to a cheerier mood, Sook-hee hands Ha-nee an envelope, and Ha-nee accepts it with a smile, expecting an allowance. Unfortunately, it’s a bill for the puppy’s expenses, and Sook-hee congratulates her on already accumulating debt. Pfft.

Dae-oh loudly flips pages in the office to catch Ae-jung’s attention, but she deliberately ignores him. Hye-jin finally addresses the elephant in the room and asks what happened to his face. Dae-oh tells her that it was over a woman, and Hye-jin praises him for being passionate and manly just like his main character.

He explains that he did go to the emergency room once for a woman, and Ae-jung grimaces, clearly sharing the same memory. She tries to steer the conversation back to work, so Dae-oh suggests pulling an all-nighter to discuss why the lovers separated. He baits her into agreeing, but before he can ask her out to lunch, Ae-jung gets up since she has a prior engagement.

Dae-oh follows Ae-jung to ask why she’s avoiding him, and she tells him that they’ll talk about it tomorrow at the meeting. Dissatisfied with her answer, Dae-oh mentions that he revised the script while thinking of her, and Ae-jung finally stops and faces him.

She apologizes for not remembering their past, and though it makes her a jerk, she also doesn’t recall the reason for their breakup. Dae-oh calls her out for lying because she seems to hate him a lot for someone who doesn’t remember, but Ae-jung yells at him to leave her alone since she’s too busy to think about his feelings.

He refuses to accept her excuses since he never told her to stop living her life. Instead, all he wants is to love her on top of it all, and says that he wasn’t trying to reminisce because even thinking about that night he confessed makes him bitter.

2005. Dae-oh appeared everywhere besides Ae-jung at school, asking her out to a meal until she finally agreed. Over clams, Ae-jung told him that she’s only eating with him so they can forget about his confession from before, but Dae-oh didn’t seem to care much, instead asking if she liked clams.

Ae-jung called them her number one, so Dae-oh grabbed a clam and said that he’ll be her new number one after he ate it. She looked at him in confusion as he claimed to be risking his life for this proposal, but things became clear to her very soon.

In the emergency room, Ae-jung scolded Dae-oh for eating a clam when he’s allergic, but he seemed happy about the predicament despite itching all-over. He told her to keep her promise and chuckled, “Noh Ae-jung, I like you a lot.”

Ae-jung arrives at school for the PTA meeting and runs into Pa-do on the stairs. They sit together in the classroom, and Pa-do avoids eye-contact with everyone despite all the mothers looking at him. Yeon-woo asks for nominations for a new PTA president, and Chan-young’s mom (the bully) is the first one mentioned.

Another mother nominates Pa-do so that more fathers will participate, and the others seem keen to the idea. When Yeon-woo asks for anyone else, Pa-do throws Ae-jung’s name into the ring. Meanwhile, their two children sit outside discussing Ha-nee’s stalled search for her dad. Suddenly, Chan-young sprays them with water, and he mocks them for having only one parent. Dong-chan stops Ha-nee before she hits him in the face, and another student comes running up to them with big news.

In an overwhelming landslide, Pa-do wins the position of PTA president, and the room erupts into cheers. He asks if he could nominate a vice-president to help him, and Chan-young’s mom jumps at the chance. To her embarrassment, Pa-do turns down her offer and suggests Ae-jung instead since she’s a producer.

Ae-jung runs up to Ha-nee and Dong-chan as they leave school, and tells them about her new title as vice-president. They congratulate her on beating Chan-young’s mom, but she informs them that Pa-do was the one who defeated her.

Right then, Director Kim and Pa-do arrive to pick up Dong-chan, and Ha-nee remembers him from the night Ae-jung came home drunk. Heh, she’s so cheeky, it’s adorable. In a stilted voice, Pa-do tells Dong-chan to get into the car, and Ae-jung and Ha-nee are left bewildered by the encounter.

On their way home, Director Kim is the only one talking, but despite his attempts to lighten the mood, Dong-chan never smiles. Unlike his response towards Ae-jung’s nomination, Dong-chan doesn’t care about Pa-do becoming the president and only wants his dad to not run into him at school. All the while, Pa-do remains silent and only glances at Dong-chan briefly.

Back at Thumb Film, Dae-oh recalls Ae-jung’s words about not having any good memories with him, so he turns to Hye-jin for advice. However, poor Hye-jin thinks this is a test and asks for more time to come up with a response. Ha, she’s so flustered that Dae-oh gives up his seat so she can think.

On her way to a meeting, Ae-jung spots a woman whose dress has a hole, so she follows her to the bathroom to inform her about the mishap. The woman turns out to be Bo-hye, and though she frets about the popped seam, she isn’t desperate enough to accept Ae-jung’s sweater. Pfft.

Ae-jung offers to sew it for her, and ignoring Bo-hye’s protests, she turns her around and goes to work. In a matter of minutes, the dress is fixed, and Ae-jung is gone just as quickly. She meets with Ah-rin and apologizes for the delay, but Ah-rin tells her that it’s fine. Instead, she warns Ae-jung that her CEO can be intimidating, but her worries are for naught since Bo-hye and Ae-jung laugh as soon as they see each other.

Over dinner, Bo-hye is impressed with how quickly the production side of the movie is going, and Ae-jung looks thrilled to finally receive some outside praise. Ah-rin asks if she can meet Dae-oh in the near future, and Ae-jung agrees to set up a time since they couldn’t talk a lot at the event.

Bo-hye is surprised to hear that Ae-jung was there, and she stares at her curiously, remembering how Yeon-woo left with a woman that night. Ae-jung explains that she had to go home to her daughter, and the mood in the room instantly lifts. They compliment Ae-jung for being dependable, and Ah-rin even asks if she can call her unni.

After the meeting, Ah-rin dances in her van, and tells Manager Do that she’s sworn sisters with Ae-jung now. After learning about Ae-jung’s daughter, Ah-rin assumes this means she is married and asks her manager to schedule a meeting with Dae-oh.

Dae-oh sits outside Sukey in hopes of finding Ae-jung but runs across Ha-nee instead. She’s putting up flyers, so Dae-oh presumes that Ae-jung isn’t giving her enough allowance and offers to give her some money. Ha-nee doesn’t recognize him and walks away from the stranger, but Dae-oh follows her and nags the entire time.

Having heard enough, Ae-jung confronts Dae-oh for acting nosy, and then finally blows her top when he hands her some cash and tells her not to be upset with her mom. She asks if she looks like a beggar and yells at him for talking poorly of her mom. She runs away from him, but Dae-oh chases after her, saying that he feels misjudged. Definitely not his brightest move.

Yeon-woo spots Dae-oh running after Ha-nee and gets off the bus. As he runs to her, Ha-nee crosses the street but drops her fliers. She bends down to pick them up in the middle of the road, and a motorcycle comes charging towards her. Dae-oh spots it first and yells at Ha-nee as he dashes forward.

Elsewhere, Ryu Jin has an interview and remembers his manager’s advice to keep CEO Song happy. When asked about his school lecture and if his first love is CEO Song, Ryu Jin doesn’t deny it and asks for a round of applause for her.

His reply worked like magic, and during dinner, CEO Song smiles at him. Though she still doesn’t like Ae-jung, she’ll trust his judgement. After the movie, though, she plans on moving the company to the United States to jumpstart his Hollywood career. When Ryu Jin shows some doubt, CEO Song stops smiling and warns him not to lose her faith over some trivial emotions.

Ryu Jin steps out of the room and looks conflicted over CEO Song’s warning. He pulls out his phone, and his finger hovers over Ae-jung’s name.

Alone in the office, Ae-jung sighs over a paper jam when someone comes in. It’s Ryu Jin, and he offers to fix the printer like he did in the past. She thanks him for the help and comments on how he was always by her side back in the day. Her words strike a chord, but she doesn’t seem to notice as she asks why he came to see her.

He asks if she’s okay with Dae-oh after the confession, but before she can answer, her phone rings. She answers the unknown number, and immediately her face falls. Ryu Jin drives her to the hospital, and Ae-jung frantically asks the front desk about Ha-nee.

Luckily, Ha-nee looks unscathed, though the same can’t be said of Dae-oh. He whines about his shot, and Ha-nee berates him for scaring her and causing this debacle in the first place. While the two of them bicker, Ryu Jin finds them, and he calls Ha-nee’s name. Unhappy to see him, she glares at him before leaving the hospital.

Ryu Jin goes after her to ask if she’s okay, but Ha-nee steps away from him and asks why he cares. She tells him to not bother with her anymore if he isn’t her dad, and Ryu Jin stumbles for a reply. At that moment, Ae-jung runs to Ha-nee and embraces her. She assures her mom that she’s fine, and then points to Dae-oh because he was the one who’s hurt.

Ae-jung grabs Ha-nee’s hand and walks past Dae-oh without acknowledging him. Later that night, Dae-oh lays in his bed and thinks back to the accident. He threw himself to shield Ha-nee from the fall, which resulted in his busted hand. He sadly remembers how Ae-jung used to care about him when he got hurt, and in her own home, Ae-jung texts Dae-oh to thank him but doesn’t send it.

Drinking alone, Yeon-woo also remembers the accident from earlier, and the image of Ha-nee in Dae-oh’s arms makes him sigh. Likewise, Ryu Jin returns home and looks frustrated with how the night’s events unraveled.

At work the next day, Ae-jung sees Dae-oh’s scribbles on his script that ask why she left him. When he comes into the office, she thanks him for protecting Ha-nee, and Dae-oh sits there speechless. She flees the room before he can respond, and he cracks a smile.

While Sook-hee cleans her bar, the puppy stares at her sadly, so she eventually gives in and takes care of the puppy as well. As she cleans the bed, she discovers the notebook Ha-nee left when Grandma arrives with a bag full of food. As Sook-hee hands her some vegetables in return, Grandma spots the notebook and learns that Ha-nee left it here.

Back at Thumb Film, Hye-jin asks the others if they can go home after they figure out the reason for the breakup, and Dae-oh turns to Ae-jung for her opinion. After contemplating for a moment, she tells him that their love just ended. He pushes back against her answer, calling such a relationship meaningless, so Ae-jung postulates a new interpretation: what if the male character’s love was fleeting?

With this in mind, the female character’s actions make more sense because her love turned to hate after realizing the truth. Ae-jung points out the author’s note which says something similar, and after their meeting ends, Dae-oh goes to the rooftop to read over the passage.

Dae-oh narrates, “Everyone has a first love, but yours is different from mine.”

As the scene cuts to Yeon-woo, Dae-oh describes how some first loves are those you wanted to protect by being by their side. As for others like Pa-do, maybe it was a person you couldn’t protect to the end. As for Dae-oh, himself, he writes, “A person who I loved so much to the point of hating them.”

Returning to the office, he finds Ae-jung sleeping at her desk and reaches out to touch her. However, at the last moment, Ryu Jin grabs his arm and stops him. As they stare at each other, Dae-oh finishes his note, “and someone I was afraid of losing again”

 
COMMENTS

Nearly half-way into its run, and we still have no clue as to why our ex-lovers separated. On one hand, I understand the need to drag things out, but it still feels frustrating. Rather than focus on the present, a lot of current tension has to do with the past. Unresolved feelings and miscommunications have lasted over a decade and continue to affect the lives of our protagonists, but instead of talking things out, the writer is letting all their problems fester. As a result, it feels like character development has come to a standstill as all the main players are stuck on this carousel. Unfortunately, this is affecting Ae-jung’s character the most, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to root for her.

First, I’m really disappointed with Ae-jung for not telling Dae-oh why they broke up. I would have been fine with her not wanting to share if she didn’t use it as leverage to get him to sign on to her movie. A major part of him working with her (at least as the show portrayed it) is for him to finish his incomplete debut novel. However, if Ae-jung is going to stay silent and tell him, “their love just ended,” then what does she contribute to the team? This is a major misstep on the writer’s part for me because it makes Ae-jung look noncommittal and deceiving. She hasn’t done anything to really help produce their movie, and the one area where she could provide insight, she withdraws from the spotlight. Ultimately, it feels like a cheap tactic to drum up drama. It keeps the viewers in the dark to create tension but at what cost? Though the suitors may be winning over viewers’ hearts, I firmly believe Ae-jung is the crux of the show, and if the writer doesn’t develop her more and give the viewers a reason to root for her other than the fact that she’s a single mother, the entire show is at jeopardy.

Instead of dwelling on the past, I think the show needs to move on in order to revitalize her character. Currently, it doesn’t make much sense as to why four guys might love her and sacrifice so much for her sake (Dae-oh and Ryu Jin both gave up chances to work in Hollywood, Yeon-woo is living in an attic when he could afford a much nicer place, and Pa-do forgave over a billion won debt). In many ways, the show hasn’t convinced its viewers that the guys like present-day Ae-jung for who she has become, but rather they seem to like past Ae-jung so as default, they like current Ae-jung. The only outlier is Pa-do, but his case isn’t all that different since he seems to project a past image onto her as well. Personally, the best romances are the one where I love both individuals in the relationship separately as well as together, and in this case, I really want to love Ae-jung (especially for Ha-nee’s sake). Ae-jung greatest partner at the moment is her daughter, and I wish there were more moments of them together. Ha-nee seems to really love her mom, but instead of just hearing about it, I want to see their relationship, too.

While the romance is the show’s greatest pull, I find myself gravitating towards some of the non-romantic scenes and relationships because Ae-jung feels more alive and nuanced in those moments. Though it probably won’t last very long, I enjoyed the budding friendship and goodwill shared between Ae-jung, Ah-rin, and Bo-hye. It was nice to see them praise Ae-jung for doing her job, and even if it probably wasn’t for the right reasons, it was encouraging to hear other women praise Ae-jung for being a working mother. Having a child can be hard, but it shouldn’t be the reason a woman’s career gets ruined. Thus, it’s nice to see the show depict working moms such as Ae-jung and Bo-hye even if this message is unintentional. For the most part, I like Ah-rin as a character because she’s straight-forward, and when Dae-oh isn’t in the picture, she’s actually friendly and professional to Ae-jung. It would be nice if her character doesn’t become another typical second-lead who hates the female lead because of a man. In the same vein, I think Bo-hye is a much more interesting character as an entertainment CEO than she is the rich and overbearing mom, so hopefully, the show doesn’t reduce these two characters to cardboard cutouts.

The other relationships I really liked this episode were the ones related to Ha-nee and Dong-chan. I’m curious as to why Dong-chan has such a bad relationship with Pa-do and seems to like Director Kim more than his own dad. Since he does like the director, he probably doesn’t hate Pa-do because of his job, so what happened between this father and son to create such animosity, especially since Pa-do seems to care for Dong-chan? As for Ha-nee, her banter with Dae-oh was cute, but it also tore me to watch them together. On one hand, I want him to be the dad because it makes the most logical sense, but on the other hand, it pains me that these two lovable dorks were separated for so long. While Dae-oh chasing her in the streets was creepy (I know it was played for laughs, but from Ha-nee’s perspective, it definitely was scary), I liked how the show didn’t make Ha-nee immediately grateful towards him for “saving” her. She blamed him for causing the situation in the first place, and from the way the motorcyclist swerved, Dae-oh might have actually caused more harm with his tackle. Despite all that, you could tell Ha-nee was thankful, and the way she begrudgingly fed him chocolate milk felt like an exasperated daughter appeasing her childish dad. Out of all the men, I love Ha-nee’s relationship with Dae-oh the most because they already feel so comfortable together even though they barely know each other.

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This is the very first time I’ve ever had SLS... for the 2nd female lead.

Here’s a nice young lady who has remained devoted in her affection for you for 14 years, who has never made you feel small, who has never belittled or humiliated you for wearing your heart on your sleeve. A young woman who is independent, who doesn’t need a constant savior, who doesn’t come with 14 years of emotional baggage.

Oh Dae-Oh, honey, you really looking at the wrong girl.

P.S. Ae-Jing’s ONE qualification for getting hired was to bring female perspective to the script, and she refuses to do just that? Come ON.

P.P.S. Dae-Oh chasing an alarmed Ha-Nee down the street was slightly creepy.

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Seconded, in that I love Ahrin, but I think she deserves better 😂

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I am actually suspicious that the young actress (AhRin? ) may have caused the misunderstanding that drove Ae-Jung away from Dae-oh. Back 14 years ago she was a teenager who had a pretty big crush on him. Who knows what she may have done to chase Ae-Jung away? She may have said something that Ae-Jung overheard or staged a scene to trick AeJung into believing that Dae-oh was hooking up with her and no longer loved AeJung.

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I have considered this possibility as well... in that case Dae-Oh REALLY deserves better than someone like Ae-Jung. It means that Ae-Jung was manipulated by a *teenager*, jumped to conclusions without bothering to verify anything with her boyfriend, and in doing so she robbed Ha-Nee and Dae-Oh 14 years of what would have been a loving father-daughter relationship (since the show is heavily leaning towards Dae-Oh being the father). Dae-Oh may not have been the right man for her, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have been a good father.

I really hope the writer comes up with a better reason for the breakup than an impulsive misunderstanding on Ae-Jung’s part!

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Me too (@myneighbortotoro ) but that flashback they gave of the Dae-oh tutoring Ah-rin as a teen was one where she was role playing yet confessing to him through the role play. He came right back and told her he was spoken for in no uncertain terms. That makes me realize that her crush on his was not from a distance, that she did have him as a tutor where she could get into more trouble in making things look bad for him. But really, in ep 7, I had a lot of resentment toward Ae-Jung for the way she treated Dae-oh. He was being sincere when he told her he loved her and she knew that. She could have refrained from laughing in his face. And when he was injured trying to save HaeNee, she just completely ignored him like he was trash. Had it been any of the other guys that had saved her she would have been gushing all over them with gratitude.

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Indeed. Those 2 moments (laughing in his face with a very false scornful laugh, and not thanking him immediately for saving Ha-nee) did it for me. Enough is enough. She’s playing the victim card of being the sacrificial single mom, and acting like Dae-oh deserves to be treated badly, which is not fair because he has no clue what he’s done.

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Agreed. But I think she reacted that way towards Dae-Oh eventhough he'd just saved her daughter was because she's spent 14 years keeping Ha-nee away from her dad (assuming Dae-Oh, here) because of some reason (again, hoping it's not a simple misunderstanding) and she panicked seeing them together in that particular circumstance. Not trying to justify Ae-jung, but trying to justify the writer here. From a writer's pov, that would be a justifiable way for their character to behave. Seeing them together and finding out that it was Dae-Oh that saved her might've been ... slightly shocking for a mother who's made up her mind to keep them apart (for whatever reason).
As for laughing to his face - I think deep down she realizes that it's true, probably feels the same way too, but just doesn't want to face the reality because she's scared about how that will disrupt Ha-Nee

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We now know that Ae-jung can competently sew a seam from the outside in a nanosecond without showing a single stitch.

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*snickers*
I mean, that is certainly a talent. I can’t sew to save my life. I wish we had seen some of her talents as a producer as well.

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I am just laughing like crazy!

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I find myself feeling increasingly bitter about Aejung not being cooperative re: that whole spiel about completing the story/enriching its ending. It's true that Daeoh can be petty/rude, and pushing back against that when it's happening is entirely fair. But in a professional setting when work is actually being done (mostly off the back of the contribution of others as well), her choice to not follow through on her end of the bargain just comes across poorly for me. I want to like and root for her, but I'm struggling to find some real redeeming substance.

At this point, I'm much more invested in Hanee's struggles with feeling like she was abandoned by her father, as well as the broken relationship between Pado and Dongchan. Dongchan seems like a really sweet kid, and I hope he and his dad can learn to love each other in a way that is healthy and fulfilling for both of them.

Husband whodunnit: My guess is still that Daeoh is the father (he had the most natural chemistry with Hanee even though that bit where he followed her was definitely creepy), though I feel like Pado is slowly becoming my favourite of the four. Yeonwoo is sweet but a little overbearing for me, and I don't really vibe with Jin, period.

I want more scenes with Ahrin and her manager. I love their dynamic!

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I realise I said husband when I should've said father... forgot this isn't a season of Reply 😂

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This is the episode where the show lost me. It's been hard to like Ae-jung from the beginning. Even if we ignore the fact that she shows no real competence or skill, it seems likely she kept Ha-nee's birth a secret from the father - which is deeply selfish and deprives both the father and Ha-nee. At best she seems to have done it because she was 'betrayed' in love which honestly doesn't seem like a very good reason.
But even if we ignore all of that, her backing out on providing the reason for the break-up was really the last straw. It's reflective of a pattern of entitlement - she agreed to Pa-do's deal then kept acting like he was being unreasonable, then she made a deal with Oh Dae-oh and is now reneging on that as well. Like you said, she brings nothing to the table and it's hard to imagine why these 4 men would fall for her.
Goodbye show, it's (not) been a pleasure.

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It has been long since there is a drama who tucks my heartstrings ... but at all the wrong places. Like seriously, it's like the writer is out to make the Ae-jung the most baddass FL, but instead she is just... bad. The moment when she laughed at Dae-oh's confession was just hideous, like she had been belittling him for the nth time. And the poor guy was just wearing his heart over his sleeve to be trampled upon again and again. I'm now convinced that the FL in his novel was portrayed correctly, that she was just as bad and cold-hearted as the prototype in real life.

And we have been waiting for Ae-jung to show her professionalism instead of just TALKING about trying hard, and seriously, her assistant, Hye-jin showed more professionalism than her by basically doing all the jobs. And we need to see Ae-jung actually interact with her daughter or flashbacks of the past to her actions to show she is a sacrificial mom instead of just having Sook-hee talking about it.

Like, all the women around her are showing us more of their characters that make us root for them instead of the FL: from Mom, Hye-jin, Sook-hee, Ahrin and Hanee. They actually DO something instead of just talking about trying hard.

Oh show, I lost hope in you. I wish the writer would ask our Beannies editors to be her consultants and much much nicer results would come out of this. This script is just like Dan oh's script before being revised. Someone please help the writer to write a FL that we can actually root for, pretty much please!

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Just wondering... who’s Dan Oh?

But yeah, the writer is doing the cast dirty... all the actors here are so talented and deserve better. I can’t believe in an industry as seasoned as kdrama, a script like this made it all the way to production and convinced Song Ji Hyo tk star in it, no less.

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Sorry, I just realized that’s Dae-Oh. I was thinking there is a writer named Dan Oh I should check out 😅

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I don’t understand it either. Good actors, nice camerawork, interesting sound effects... but the writing is terrible. Maybe the producer who accepted the script didn’t read it *cough*

If there is indeed a plot twist coming up it will be too late. The show has lost me and I suspect many more viewers.

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I just checked out writer Lee Seung-Jin on IMDb...this drama is the only screenwriting credit he has in Korea so far. Not surprised.

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This is it. I have to drop this show. I tried.
I don’t care for the FL nor any of her relationships with the men. Everything feels forced. I seem to be FFing during the professional setting and the personal settings.

I might drop in and just read the recaps going forward. Wishing you luck, lovepark. fighting!!

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Thank you! selena and I will let you and the other beanies know if a miracle happens and the show gets better ;)

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Gotta say this drama just annoys the heck out of me. All the characters annoy me (except for the Pado's maybe) especially the main leads, they just annoy me, every scene with them has me rolling my eyes and going ugh!! Damn

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Even though Hanee wishes YeonWoo was her dad, I think she could transfer her affection to Dae-Oh if she were to find out he really is her dad and that he would love her and treat her like a princess if he only had the chance. He obviously cares a lot about her even as they first meet, wanting to give her an allowance and complaining that her skirt is too short and that it is dangerous to be out like that working a part time job which she is too young for. Just overall butting in like a real dad might, even when his attention isn't wanted. And, risking his life to save her from the motorcycle. Then, at the hospital, being at ease enough with her to ask for her help and comfort.

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Yes, everyone has a right to opine about AJ's competency issues, but for the most part the men have been interjecting themselves into AJ's work.
I agree dragging out the fatherhood reveal is going on too long. Tell us and see how the characters react. I really do not like any of the four men to be Hanee's father. For AJ to drop out of school and runaway, it has to be a bigger "scandal" than just a college hook-up. Maybe the father is someone we have not met.

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You’re right that the men have been meddling in her work, but they are also part of this movie project (that is, all three except Yeon-woo). A writer/director and producer especially should work together. What will it take for them to work as a team?

IF a big “scandal“ indeed happened in the past, it’s very strange that she only treats Dae-oh badly. IF it turns out that she ran away to “save Dae-oh” from the pain of hearing about a scandal, and has been nasty to him in the present to push him away, but she secretly still loves him... it’ll be the worst case of Noble Idiocy I’ve seen in a decade.

Any way there’s no saving the show for me, if Dae-oh is the father or if he isn’t. I know other beanies are enjoying it so I’ll just lurk in recaps from now on.

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Haven’t encountered such an unlikable FL in a while. I mean Dae-oh definitely deserves her ire sometimes, but laughing in his face at his confession and then just ignoring him immediately after he saves her daughter... why writer?? And if it turns out that the breakup really was just some big misunderstanding with her thinking he cheated... I will really have no words. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I like Dae-oh, but that’s mostly because of Son Ho-jun. I’ll probably just be fast forwarding to see him and Ha-nee, which I know is gonna be super cute and probably also break my heart.

As for the others, I have an irrational dislike of Yeon-woo lol. That rich boy reveal earlier in the show made my eyes roll so hard. And he just never takes no for an answer. Ryu jin is just... there. I like Pa-do and I want to see him make up with his son. Ah-rin is cool too, but I’m scared about what the show will do with her. I don’t have high expectations for Yeon-woo’s mom either. But who knows, maybe the writer will prove us wrong... Lol.

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Exactly my thought on Yeon-Woo. he isn't evil or anything, i just don't like him.
Ryu-Jin is just there. there's nothing interesting about him.
this drama is boring

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Good episode. What the fine ending scene of this episode sounded for me that was looked like handsome two guys in cool styles.

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Oh so often I read comments about dramas that are so critical and seem to belittle the writers and directors as if the person who is criticizing the work has more authority to write or direct than the actual person who makes a living at it. We each should just experience the drama in our own way without expectations. I want to say, "Wait a minute. This art work belongs to them. Let's let them do with it what they want and our job just to interpret it from our own points of view without judging it as if we are the artist." But I never know how to say that eloquently and in a way that is meaningful. Today though, I found a quote from a filmmaker that actually says what I want to say, and here is that quote:

“When we are in front of an abstract painting, we have the license to interpret in any way we want. Or music—music is a medium that we might not understand, but that we feel and enjoy. But in the case of cinema many expect to receive a clear and unified message, but what I’m suggesting is that a film could be experienced as a poem, a painting, or a piece of music.” ― Abbas Kiarostami, filmmaker

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I've been having a similar dilemma while criticizing dramas. After venturing a bit in writing and scripts, I realized it's incredibly difficult to make something to the screen. Most of the times, the absurd routes dramas take aren't even the writer's fault but the producers or directors pushing them to write sth they know will sell more. So maybe experiencing a show by our own vantage point is the best choice and also probably coming to terms with well, that's how it is. The disappointment gets real though when we have higher expectations of a drama so that is unavoidable.

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I see what @zzthorn is saying with that lovely quote, after all, 'beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder'...but when you present your work to the public there will be comparisons made to other productions by media reviewers, and also in places where the viewers are given a chance to express their tastes, especially in the comment sections of websites devoted to discussing dramas like this one. There are also ratings & awards given for films, books & music that are outstanding in their field so a creative work is always being judged in some way. For me, a comment section is a great place to allow viewers to express both pros and cons. If we only wanted to see positives here, then the Dramabeans section would turn into a simple "fangurling' section. I enjoy hearing an honest discussion of these dramas, and I reading other's opinions here has educated me in so many aspects of storytelling, filming and acting. Grateful for this space, and I agree with you @wapz that the disappointment "get's real though when we have higher expectations of a drama"....which I did too. Trying to understand why & what aspects we're disappointed with is often part of the best discussions I see here. When we don't like a heroine, we don't just say "I hate her"..but instead many commenters give specifics for why they think that way. We all ultimately share & learn some great skills in discerning what it DOES take to create a great drama. Sadly, for me, this isn't one.

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You made me remember that one of the biggest reason I came and stayed with DB all these years was because they constructively criticized a show many others were only fangirling on. So yes, definitely media products will be up for criticism openly, it's just a personal choice to not engage in those conversations much.

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ngl i have high expectations with this drama but ended up disappointed :(

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