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Was It Love: Episode 16 (Final)

Love doesn’t come easily, so our couple is thrown one final hurdle before they can be with one another. With their relationship being scrutinized under the spotlight, some hard decisions are made to protect their love.

 
EPISODE 16 RECAP

After their date, our couple lingers in the car, not yet ready to part. Dae-oh stops Ae-jung from responding to his confession, too nervous to hear it. He swears he’s not as self-centered as before and is willing to wait patiently for Ha-nee to be ready. Loving how considerate he’s being, Ae-jung beams and plants a kiss on his cheek.

She thanks him for his patience and says that he made her very happy today. She was able to return to school and graduate, and even got proposed to. Ae-jung asks for just a little more time to help Ha-nee open up, but it’s a clear “yes.” Unable to hold back anymore, Dae-oh clumsily unbuckles his seatbelt to give her a kiss while Ae-jung protests that people will catch them.

Ha-nee flips through a copy of Love Doesn’t Exist with the expository forum post in mind. While the book claims that he fell ill because his lover left him, the post says that Cheon Eok-man threw away his pregnant girlfriend and child.

Ae-jung sneaks into the house but is caught by Ha-nee. Judging by how happy Mom looks, Ha-nee can tell that she isn’t yet aware of the rumors surrounding the writer. She hands Mom the book and asks if it’s true that Dae-oh wrote about Ae-jung in a bad light on purpose.

Meanwhile, Dae-oh gets a call from Editor Hong who frantically gives him the rundown on the situation. Although the original post has been deleted, the malicious rumors are spreading everywhere. Dae-oh clicks into an article and the comments are filled with fans who hope it isn’t true. People are also linking Ae-jung to these rumors because of the clip from the book concert.

Ae-jung heads to the office where Hye-jin briefs her on another huge problem – there’s no money left in their bank account. Ae-jung notices that their bankbook is gone and astutely determines that CEO Wang was behind this.

CEO Song reads the Cheon Eok-man article in her office and Reporter Na notes that she doesn’t look too happy when she should feel satisfied with her revenge. She claims that while she did want to make them pay, all she truly wanted was take back what was hers. CEO Song suggests that this should be their last meeting, and he says that they’re both trash.

The next morning, Editor Hong finds Dae-oh at home, sitting solemnly in front of a box of ripped up books that someone sent. While the editor is upset about their hard work going down the drain, Dae-oh’s more focused on ensuring Ae-jung’s name stays out of this.

Editor Hong is frustrated that Dae-oh is more worried about someone else. He wants Ae-jung to tell everyone the truth. “Either that, or you can kiss your career goodbye!” he yells. However, Dae-oh doesn’t feel worthy enough to be an author, having affected Ae-jung’s life with his work.

When Dae-oh gets to Thumb Film, he sees that Ae-jung is dealing with angry staff members who say that as the victim, she should’ve turned down the movie in the first place. They all decide to drop out and demand to be paid for their services thus far.

Although Ae-jung instructed Hye-jin not to let Dae-oh into the meeting, he enters and announces that he’ll pay them. Dae-oh decides to take full responsibility as the writer and director, inviting the staff to discuss any issues with him in his office.

After they leave, Hye-jin worriedly tells Ae-jung that Dae-oh seems to blame himself. Dae-oh sits in his office and remembers how happy Ae-jung was to officially become a movie producer.

Ae-jung texts Dae-oh to meet at the rooftop. She has prepared a camp-like setup, reminiscent of the time he did the same for her. Back then, she was upset that their camping trip was cancelled, so Dae-oh set up camp in his bedroom, told jokes to cheer her up, and whipped up “Oh Dae-oh’s Special Ramyun,” made with equal parts love and adoration, hee.

She recreates that exact date now, using his own joke to get a laugh out of him. He gives in and tries her version of his ramyun recipe. Although he enjoys it, Dae-oh points out that she claimed to have forgotten their past. Ae-jung confesses, “Every moment we shared was like a scene from a movie, so how could I forget?”

Ae-jung suggests that they work together to face the upcoming adversity, but Dae-oh drops the bomb that he wants to scrap the movie. He doesn’t want their story to be told in the form of a lie, and promises to protect her dreams and Ha-nee, too.

Ah-rin is pissed to learn about the new situation that’s affecting their movie, since she believes she did everything she could to let them rekindle their love. She spots Ryu Jin being bombarded by reporters just outside their training facility. They ask if his rumored child is actually the author’s daughter. Ryu Jin breaks his silence when Ae-jung’s name is mentioned, “Didn’t I warn you about mentioning people’s actual names to the public?”

The reporters get on his nerves but before he can refute their claims, Ah-rin joins in and yells at them for digging into the lives of non-celebrities. Poor Manager Do attempts to do damage control by pretending that she’s swearing because she’s practicing her acting. Ryu Jin is pretty impressed and echoes her statement telling the reporters not to cross the line.

Eyes glued to the TV, Grandma mutters, “That’s not true,” when the hosts claim that Cheon Eok-man played the part of the victim to protect himself after abandoning his girlfriend. She shuts it off when Ha-nee comes home, but Ha-nee says there’s no need to be secretive about it.

She tells Grandma that she didn’t do anything when her classmates spoke poorly about Dae-oh, when she should’ve defended him. She just didn’t know how to, although she instinctively knows that Dae-oh’s a good guy. She cries as Grandma hugs her in reassurance.

Ae-jung consults Sook-hee for advice. “Protecting Dae-oh will hurt Ha-nee, but protecting Ha-nee will hurt Dae-oh,” Ae-jung sighs. Just as things were starting to look up, she’s pulled back into her destiny of living in pouring rain.

Sook-hee reminds Ae-jung, “Still, there’ll come a day when the sun shines brightly on you because you always did your best.” She trusts that Ae-jung will be able to protect both of her loved ones, because she’s Ae-jung.

2013. Sook-hee was a regular at Ha-nee’s Chicken, a restaurant run by the family of three. She was drinking alone one night, looking pained while clutching a sonogram in her hand. Sook-hee overheard Grandma worrying about the fact that they’ll be kicked out of their house, while Ae-jung was positive that things would work out fine.

Sook-hee spoke up and invited them to live in her house – it’s too big for her anyway, and she can stay in the empty room at Sukey. Ae-jung wondered how she could just trust them like that, and Sook-hee answered that it’s because Ae-jung never gave up on her dream, her baby, or her life.

Dae-oh meets Ha-nee at a café and she points out his haggard face, commenting that he must be having a tough time. He doesn’t deny it and asks how she’s doing, but Ha-nee reminds him that she doesn’t need a dad. She gently suggests him to worry about Ae-jung instead. Dae-oh apologizes, finding himself pathetic.

He chokes up when Ha-nee disagrees and says that she trusts him. It’s obvious to her that he loves Ae-jung a lot, and wouldn’t purposely write about her like that. Dae-oh explains that due to a misunderstanding, they thought they had abandoned each other. He apologizes for getting Ha-nee caught up in their mess.

As she processes the truth behind her parents’ separation, Ha-nee assures him that she grew up happily thanks to Mom and Grandma even if life was a little rough without a father. She smiles, giving him her blessings, which brings him to tears.

Dae-oh drops Ha-nee off at home and hands her a gift, telling her to open it some other day. They sweetly wish each other a goodnight and Ha-nee can’t help but keep looking back at Dae-oh’s smiling face. Aww.

The following day, Ae-jung finds Director Kim waiting at the office. He’s the director of the film she was working on prior to this project. Apparently, Thumb Film will now co-produce the movie with him, since the production of Love Doesn’t Exist is on an indefinite hold.

Ae-jung’s unable to reach Dae-oh, but Pa-do shows up to explain that it was Dae-oh’s idea for everybody to join the production of No One But My Man. Ryu Jin and Ah-rin will remain the leads.

Yesterday, Dae-oh had pulled Pa-do aside to give him the script. He explained that it’s a project that Ae-jung once poured everything into, but was unable to produce it because the company went bankrupt. In a stroke of luck, the film was never produced because they ran into casting and financial problems. With the entire Thumb Film team sans Dae-oh, Ae-jung will be able to debut, and it won’t be with a fake story.

Ae-jung shows up at Dae-oh’s place and is stunned to find him packing up. She cries, hurt that he planned to leave without telling her. Ae-jung asks if Dae-oh thinks she’d be grateful to be handed this project after losing his.

Dae-oh explains that he needs some time to re-write the true love story between him, Ae-jung, and Ha-nee. He can’t do it by their side because people will always drag him back into the limelight unless he disappears. To ease the tension, he jokes that Cheon Eok-man writes in solitude.

Dae-oh promises that it won’t be long before they’ll meet again, once they’ve both achieved their dreams. He apologizes and hugs Ae-jung comfortingly as the tears stream down her face.

In her waiting room, Ah-rin has used up a mountain of tissues crying about her tarnished image. With her makeup all ruined, she wails about being called the “Foul-mouthed Angel.” Manager Do shows her a live broadcast that Ryu Jin is hosting, where he announces that the reporters were infringing on the rights of others.

He goes on to explain that while he was afraid to ruin his reputation and speak up, Ah-rin stepped up to protect the innocent. He says that she only swears at those who deserve it, and is everyone’s guardian angel. Manager Do is beyond excited about the shift in public sentiment, and Ah-rin wonders why he’s being so nice. “Does he like me?”

Ae-jung gets home to find Grandma cooking up a feast. Feeling helpless, she wanted to pack up some food for Dae-oh, who lives alone. She tells Ae-jung not to mind what others are saying. Ae-jung tells her mom that Dae-oh’s leaving for her and Ha-nee’s sake. Unable to hold it in anymore, Ae-jung sobs, “It’s breaking my heart, Mom.” Ha-nee sees them hugging and crying together.

She retreats back into her room and opens Dae-oh’s present. Ha-nee approves of the pair of shoes and finds a handmade scrapbook filled with photos from Dae-oh’s recent date with Ae-jung. It’s Dae-oh’s “Back to 2006” project and the captions explain their story.

Ha-nee reads the card: “This is when your mother was young and happy. I wanted to show her to you. Also, I’ll keep all the promises that you put on the checklist no matter what, so please believe in me. I’m so sorry, Ha-nee.” Tears fall when she sees that he checked “yes” to every condition she set, even the one that says that he swears to never leave Ae-jung’s side.

Fast forward to 2022, and the movie is a box office hit! With a bit of smartphone PPL, we see that Ae-jung has become acknowledged in her field and is even in discussion with an American investor regarding publishing rights.

Ryu Jin runs into CEO Song at a movie theater. She’s on her way to watch his film with her new star named Ryu Hyuk in tow, lol. She tells Ryu Jin that she doesn’t believe she was in the wrong and is still waiting for him to return to her. He shuts her down, but acknowledges that she brought him into the industry and sincerely thanks her for that.

At school, Ha-nee’s lost in thought while looking at her phone’s wallpaper – she set photos of Dae-oh and Ae-jung as her background. She smiles and holds up a set of VIP premiere tickets for her mom’s movie while watching some boys play soccer.

Dong-chan takes the ball and goes in for an attack, but misses when he attempts to score. Aww, Pa-do is cheering him on from the sidelines. He joins his disappointed son after the game, and it’s clear that they’ve grown close over the past two years.

Pa-do tells Dong-chan that timing is everything, so he should go for it once he makes a decision. Don’t hesitate. This advice seems to be relevant to his love life, because Dong-chan fumes at the sight of Ha-nee approaching another boy with her premiere tickets.

Before he heads over there, he and Pa-do do an elaborate handshake and aggressively open their cans of Coke the same way, ha! Dong-chan downs the soda and ruins Ha-nee’s chances of getting a date by interrupting with some burps. She complains about his actions later that night to her puppy, and Dong-chan grumbles that he didn’t want to stoop that low either.

At the premiere party, Pa-do helps Sook-hee set up the alcohol and although it seems like they’re both interested in each other, he just awkwardly asks about her relationship with Ae-jung.

Amused, Sook-hee answers that she’s many things but mainly, she’s someone who admires Ae-jung for her tenacity. She suggests having a toast as Ae-jung’s supporters, but is unfortunately interrupted by Manager Myung (now CEO Myung of Ryu Jin’s one-man agency.)

Unexpectedly, Bo-hye’s also in attendance as tonight is her weekly date night with Yeon-woo. She has grown closer with Grandma, eager to learn how to cook Yeon-woo’s favorite dishes. She has decided not to meddle in his business anymore and Grandma advises Yeon-woo to treat his mother well considering how much effort she’s putting in.

By the snack table, Ah-rin sidles up next to Ryu Jin and bluntly asks if he likes her. Now that filming is over, she hints that it’s the perfect time to confess. He blushes, shy about her boldness, pfft. Everybody gathers for the feast and raise their glasses to celebrate the premiere of their movie. Ae-jung imagines that Dae-oh came to congratulate her, sad that he’s not actually there.

When it comes time to pick a novel for their next project, Ae-jung grabs the number one recommendation named Last Love by Guido Orefice. The book dedication has the quote, “Dreams come true” (which is the title of Ae-jung’s graduation film.)

As she reads the first few lines, she imagines her and Dae-oh’s relationship playing out on-screen. “I met her once again. She took everything from me once again. It was fate. I was destined to fall in love with her once again.” She gets Hye-jin to set up a meeting with the author.

They meet on a rainy day, and Hye-jin tells Ae-jung that Guido Orefice is a rising European author whose work has become a bestseller after being translated and sold in Korea. Some say that he’s actually a Korean living abroad, but not much is known about him.

Although many film companies reached out to get the rights to his novel, Guido Orefice rejected them all because he’s waiting on one specific firm. When Ae-jung arrives at the café, she comes face-to-face with Dae-oh. Reminiscent of the first time they reunited, he sticks out his hand for a handshake, but retracts it when she doesn’t take it.

Tears well up in Ae-jung’s eyes as she asks, “Where have you been?” They both comment on the other’s success, and Dae-oh apologizes for returning late and making her wait sixteen years. “I’ve missed you,” he breathes, and the couple embraces, relieved to be reunited for good. As per usual, Dae-oh jokes around to lighten the mood.

Many years down the line, Ae-jung is dressed in a beautiful hanbok, holding the bride’s hand at a wedding ceremony. Pretty much everyone who was involved in the production of Love Doesn’t Exist is in attendance, including Bo-hye.

The four former suitors bicker as they enter the venue late, silenced by a single glare from Ae-jung. She then smiles, “Let’s go, Ha-nee,” and walks her daughter down the aisle where the groom waits. Aw, our cute Dong-chan succeeded in winning over his crush; I’d recognize that buzzcut anywhere! The four men watch proudly as Ha-nee walks down the aisle. Ryu Jin gives Dae-oh a little congratulatory shoulder squeeze, and Pa-do can’t help but to shed a tear.

 
COMMENTS

While I was really happy to see how the lives of everyone changed for the better, I can’t believe the writers decided that a time skip was the way to go for the final episode. I’m frustrated with how this relationship has been portrayed throughout the duration of the show’s run. With Ae-jung and Dae-oh already having so much work to do to make their relationship work, this was not the best use of the final hour. I feel cheated of an actual resolution, because spending two years apart doesn’t make me suddenly believe in the strength of their love. Even though Dae-oh explained his reasoning behind his decision, it wasn’t so much of a discussion as it was a decision that he already made on behalf of them. He promised to work through the tough times together, and Ae-jung was more than ready to do that. Leaving for two years with zero contact achieves nothing, and leaves me feeling less invested in their story.

I also didn’t understand Ae-jung’s dilemma about hurting Dae-oh vs. hurting Ha-nee. Not taking action hurts both. There was only one simple solution to their problem, and it was to come out and say that the rumors were false. The truth was that Dae-oh wrote his novel based on his own understanding of how things unravelled, and he did not knowingly ditch his pregnant girlfriend. Even if it wasn’t based off his life exactly, I fail to understand the harsh reaction from his “fans” because Love Doesn’t Exist is in no way an autobiography (did fans think he was literally living in historical times, having a sword fight with his lover?). He never claimed that it was fact, and only agreed that it was based off his own experiences. While I did anticipate that he’d work on a brand new novel to tell the real story, I’m not exactly happy that they were forced apart for two entire years just to achieve that.

Although I was frustrated with how the main storyline panned out, I genuinely enjoyed tuning in every week to see what our characters were up to next. There’s some sort of addictive quality to it that made it hard for me to lose faith. To end on a positive note, I want to shout out the things I loved. Topping the list would be Ha-nee and Dong-chan’s growth. There was a lot of self-discovery and many heartstrings were pulled. I looked forward to watching them acting like mini adults, just trying to figure out this thing called life. Pa-do awkwardly trying to learn out how to be a dad and Sook-hee being a strong backbone for Ae-jung’s family were also great. They are amazing separately, but now, I wish that we got to see more interaction between these two characters throughout the run of the show. Also, they totally could have introduced Sook-hee’s backstory much earlier and explored it a bit more! Was It Love excelled best when it came to portraying familial love, and showed that it can extend to people outside of blood relations. Sook-hee and Yeon-woo were extensions of our core family, and the three women have so much love to give that it seems like the family continued to grow as time went on. Bo-hye looked genuinely happy at the wedding, and seemed to be close to Grandma. All four men wore white gloves, which traditionally only the family of the bride/groom wear. It’s just so good to know that Ha-nee and Ae-jung will truly never be lonely, with so much love and support by their side.

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Thanks for recap! :) Nice show.

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Woo-hoo... Cranberries' Dreams was the official BGM. I'm a fan of The Cranberries.

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Your recap was wonderful @selena and the comments section really hit the spot with my feelings about the drama's end. I was very disappointed that we never got to hear Hae-Nee call Dae-Oh "dad." I felt that his leaving for 2 years was a form of abandonment even though it was just a temporary abandonment. Two years is a long time in a kids life. I felt she never ended up accepting him as a father even though she ended up liking him. It would have made me happier if Hae-Nee had allowed both parents to walk her down the aisle, giving each of them credibility as a parent. I was sad that Sook-hee and Pa-do never got together and I was confused that Ryu-Jin and AhRin seemed to have been asleep through 2 years as Ah-Rin waits all that time to even ask Ryu-Jin if he does indeed "like" her. It's like no time at all has passed since the idea came to her, that she bothers to ask him about it, yet 2 years have gone by. And what happened with all the money CEO Wang stole? That never seemed to be resolved clearly. So I was quite sad that the Dae-Oh that I adored turned out to be a little bit of a dork and more common than I had hoped. My admiration for him just dissolved. Still, I was one of the biggest fans of the drama and I did enjoy it even though the ending was really a disappointment and I also felt cheated, like Selena did.

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I cant believe that till the very end Ae Jung was rescued by the men in her life. I had this hope, her character would shine as the person who everyone thinks so highly of on her own once. The story didn't need time jump in that way. Ae Jung could have stood up for Dae Oh. As for the rest, I think Ah Rin and Ryu Jin spent a lot of time working together on different projects and at some points their friendship developed into something more. They made a cute couple. Just goes to show how much of a wasted potential there is in this drama. All the actors could have shined better. I am never tuning in for this writer again. Yeon Woo was frankly not needed. Pado could have had way better arc. To the entire team, better luck next time.

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Good question about CEO Wang. I find it astonishing that money can be stolen that easily, like one in three Korean dramas have someone leaving their bank book lying around and someone can just take the money without password, signature, and without the original owner knowing. I mean what era are they portraying again? We now have mobile banking and internet banking, and the average bank will surely ask for the original owner to show up to withdraw money. Is it juste or anyone who knows about the Korean banking system can please explain it?

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No, its not.......banks would flag and freeze such large transactions and if it is reported will even give it back to their clients through insurance.......it only happens in Korean dramas

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Thanks @selena and other Beanies writers who have faithfully recapped this show, so that we have a place to go to to discuss and vent our frustration. You are right that there is sort of an addictive quality to it, which makes many of us stay and root for a happy ending and for our characters to grow, which mostly only the former happened.

One thing I'm frustrated about is the show made is ALL about Aejung and everyone else kinda exists to serve a purpose of saying nice things about her and doing things for her. Like the final conversation between Pado and Sookhee, did the writer have to make it about Aejung, AGAIN? Other characters and actors/actresses deserve their own spotlight too, just because they are also wonderful people and characters (ode to Be Melodramatic and Because This Is Our First Life for doing this so well).

And for a thousand time someone had to burst in and interrupt someone else's conversation. Ok, Sookhee and Pado, just know that I and many other Beanies are rooting for your happy ending too.

And well, I guess Hanne just had to wait another 2 years to read the novel and learn the whole truth, because her mom refused to tell it to her, and her dad just gave her a very quick explanation. And all the while she had to be the understanding and mature one to support them.

All if all, farewell to the wonderful cast and wish them all the best with their future projects. And Son Ho Jun, please choose a better script next time, ok!

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Also, can someone please tell me why the movie can be a box office hit BEFORE its premier? It should instead be a congratulatory party, right, right?

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The only possible explanation was that the movie was licensed to many oversea countries.

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I watched this drama till its end only because it was available on Netflix on the same night. The story was more of lovers' love instead of reconciling parent and child. The child at 14years old, feels she has spent her life not having a father and at this point sees no reason to have one. Quite sad really, or the mother and grandma's love is just big enuf to fill that hole. Dae OH looks like never managed to fill in an empty spaces in that father-daughter relationship.

Kdramas really like to do things off screen and let viewers imagination fill in the blanks.

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*sigh...
I had high hopes for this show 🤦🏻‍♀️
I got a bean, that’s all.

Thank you @selena for the recap.

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Thanks @selena and @lovepark for sticking with this! On to better dramas now, I hope.

I speed-watched this episode, and I can't believe that I guessed the ending. The movie was filmed during a freaking TIME SKIP. Ae-jung became a successful PD during a TIME SKIP. The OTP learned to never leave each other during a TIME SKIP + TRAVEL ABROAD. 🤣🤣🤣

And I assume there was yet another time skip before the wedding scene? Thanks for clarifying that in the recap, because I was very confused thinking Ha-nee got married at 16. 😂

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Yes, the make-up on folks in the final scene of the wedding was really bad- they barely looked like they aged from the last 15.75 episodes!

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The recaps have been amazing, Thank you. The comments are all so insightful as well. The story was terrible. I find it astonishing that IOTNBO was censured and yet this drama which seems so much more abusive of a child will get by.

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What is IOTNBO, again?

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It's OK to Not Be OK

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(I am no writer, I just like to brainstorm ideas when I am not satisfied, apologies in advance)
When I began watching this drama, I wanted a 100% shameless reverse harem; a lovely and ambitious woman with four guys from all walks of life falling for her, and how that affects her AND her daughter's life. What I got was the usual obvious endgame love (naturally with the jerkass), with the other three just being there, and whatever woman Ae-jung was.

I honestly do not know what I wanted from the drama in the end, mostly because the drama itself did not seem to know what it wanted to be. It was not about reverse harems/love triangles, because too much focus was on the endgame love to be a question, and the love triangles did not contribute to the plot in a good way; it was not about mother-daughter relationships, because Ae-jung is just wailing around while her daughter must take emotional responsibility; it is not about familial bonds, because we never get to see Ae-jung's family take the other men into the household in a way that would make them wear white gloves at the girl's wedding. It was not about movie producing, because we barely saw them do any work outside petty drama. It is not about strong women, because outside of Grandma and Hee-na, all the women are petty as eff, and Ae-jung, to the last moment, needed to be saved by the gracious graces of her men who liked her for her past, not her present, rather than do anything herself.

I feel like this drama is ten years too late for TV, because a lot of this reminds me of older dramas, and yet even they had better focus and quality. This must be like how it felt when they released Final Fantasy XIV, thinking they could just reproduce an MMO from ten years ago, not realizing that the MMO-landscape had changed and people having higher standards. -_-

I think the drama could have been improved a lot of it just decided on ONE main plot, and have the rest be in the background.
-Reverse Harem: The men come from all walks of life (author, star, normal teacher and gangster) and fall for her when meeting her through her work. Ae-jung is either not a producer or a competent producer, but the job and the film is not a big focus, it is just part of the job. Ha-nee might not exist because then there would be pressure for the drama to pair Ae-jung with the father, and I prefer harems where the endgame is not obvious.
-Mother-daughter + whos-the-father: Mainly about Ha-nee and her family, again with the producer job being just a job. Ae-jung meets various people from her life all at once (her college ex, her one-night stand, her support pillar during pregnancy and a new single father), and Ha-nee finds reasons to believe one of them is her father (pictures of dating, SMS about "that night", the baby diary and a picture of the single father and "Ae-Jung" together). Hijinks ensue. Explorations of what fatherhood means, and society's focus on fatherhood and motherhood.
Dreams Come True:...

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...Dreams Come True: Ae-jung is an ambitious producer who got a budget for a small movie-production, and gets help from her daughter after school. The production becomes much bigger than the thought when random celebrities get involved with the project, but the main focus is on the movie-production, ethics within the industry and Ae-jung actually being a competent producer and attentive mother.

I don't know, I just wanted SOMETHING else. But I did not get it, and now it is time to move on, haha. At least I got suggestions to good reverse harems during these reviews.

Thank you for all the recaps and championing through the series!

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Cheers to @selena and @lovepark for the recaps! I know that it's usually the last recapper who comments but it would be lovely to read lovepark's too ;)

Unfortunately, I was disappointed till the very end. Hoping for better projects from the casts. And yay, got a bean!

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I echo all of selena's sentiments. There's an addicting quality to the show, especially in the beginning, but it ultimately lacked focus and a proper story. Hoping alongside you that the cast chooses better projects next time! (At least we all got a bean out of it, indeed.)

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Totally agree. And again, thank you to both of you for recapping the show.

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Hello! I watched the show regularly but honestly, it wasn't and will not make it to 'The best K Drama' list for any K Drama viewer. I really was confused with the end....was the 2 year wait required? Why couldn't they make it work and clear the air with the press?
I liked that they showed Ha Nee's wedding which I imagine was with Dong Chan (his hairstyle was a hint!) and skipped over developing the absent father and daughter relationship...I wish we would gotten at least a consolidating scene for Ah Rin and Jin's budding romance! They had more spark than our main couple!
I was disappointed that the CEO never changed his ways and robbed Ae Jung again and left her dry and high! And was he never caught? That was sad.....
Had it not been for Dae Ho giving a new script, Ae Jung would have been stuck....and never fulfilled her dream.....
Another observation was that Ae Jung and Ha Nee accepting Oh Dae Ho back in her life was pushed ahead as he saved them both from the kidnapping and near death experience....otherwise, both of them were in no head space to let him back in...the "protector" act was simply a catalyst to speed things along in Dae Ho's favour....the only good point of that scene was Dong Chan's background came to the forefront and it was heart touching!
I did like the OST and will be listening to "Dreams" and "Still" long after the show is over! I am glad that I watched the show but yes, the show could have gotten better...

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Thanks for the recaps, selena and lovepark. I liked the actors in this show, but I was angry almost every episode when Ae Jung did not explain the real situation, even when faced by her daughter expressing some mistaken view of the truth! It seemed like the whole drama was driven in a continuous circle rather than forward because of that. I got to the middle of episode 15 and reached my breaking point - I won't finish this drama!

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I stopped at the end of ep. 15 to and just read the finale recaps. There's been more than enough bad writing so far to call it quits and hearing about the 'time skip' pushed me over the edge. This is the first time I've watched so many episodes before dropping something. Wish I had stopped when the red flags in this drama began to drop. Done. Recaps were great though. Thanks.

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As I had posted before, this show tried to combine too many genres into one story. Is it a rom-com, a melo, a dark drama? In the end all the colors turned dark gray. It could have been a much better series with a tighter script and better direction.
The best story line was the Pado- Yi Zi tangent. You could have made a fine series about that dynamic.
The best character was Sook-hee. We only got a slight glimpse of her back story. But her wisdom and maturity was the clear truth throughout the series. A major disappointment was that she was not paired with Pado; that would have been a great power couple.
Some criticism of SJH acting has to deal with the script: she was sold as a strong, independent career woman but the men in her life continually interfered with her work (and later with her daughter) to make her a stereotype woman in distress. We could have all drowned in the sea of noble idiocy.

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The last episode was so underwhelming in terms of storyline of main characters. Dae Oh going away for two years didn’t make sense at all when he had realised that in the past he shouldn’t have dealt alone with his problems. And this time it was not just his problem, it affected both him and Ae Jung! Also the problem itself was not that a big deal. The rumours would have died down eventually. I will never forgive this show for not revealing the truth to Ha Nee. Ae Jung needed to step up big time. And they never really resolved the CEO stealing money issue! I am really happy though for Pa Do and his relationship with Dong Chan. The ending scene where Dong Chan marries Ha Nee was quite sweet.

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I feel like a dunce and I'm glad this recap cleared up the ending for me.

I seriously thought that at the end, Ae-jung was the one getting married and didn't end up choosing any of her 4 suitors! Dong-chan and Ha-nee makes a LOT more sense.

Here I was feeling all bleh about the ending until now.

Thank you guys for the recaps this season! I realize how much of a pain it might have been to watch the episodes and to potentially re-watch them to give us these awesome recaps!

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thank you for recapping this so faithfully...im so glad its over ;_;

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I am convinced that the reason K drama holds interest is based on the writers expertise with cliffhangers coupled with the availability to watch them in close succession on Viki etc. As pure screenwriters they are mostly crap. I am still trying to find out if it is Korean culture that is the problem or the writers. What is with the stupid concept of "I dont want to bring you pain so I will leave you and bring you pain. Dont you love me for my selflessness?" It happens everywhere. Who said in Dae-ohs plan that just because he didnt want publicity and rumors going on with her that he couldnt call, write or communicate for 2 years? The writers cant reason from cause to effect well. Ha-nee spends episode after episode wanting to know who her Dad was because it was important to her. She may have been mad at him because of a misunderstanding but so was Ae-jung because of a misunderstanding and she got over it when the truth was revealed. Why then, knowing that he is a good guy, does she only give permission for him to be married to her mom but not be her dad? Why is it never clearly said he did not abandon her? The stupid writers perpetuate that she never does know he never abandoned her right to the end. Proof? In the end it is Ae-jung that walks her down the isle to be married not her dad. This drama had a fine premise, good acting and like most asian dramas very poor script writers who know zero about relationships, closure or the most common elements of communication so it is impossible for them to give their characters abilities they themselves dont possess.

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dropping in to say thank god it's over

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but also thank you for the recaps @selena and @lovepark!! you guys have worked so hard ✨

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14 yrs. then 16 yrs., that's 30 years apart. epic failure. wish i hadn't wasted my time.

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Sorry! Might have been unclear in the recap but to clarify, it was 16 years total. 14 years at first, then two more due to the time skip. (Still quite a long time to be apart though.😅)

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Thank you for this recap. Another disappointing ENDING for what could have been a good (if not great) drama. I completely agree with several commentors here - no reason to have separated the OTP for another TWO years for a very weak reason, when all of it could have been explained wi/th some good PR. I mean, imagine how strong the scene would have been if Dae-o was trying to explain what happened and Ryu (and maybe even Ah-Rin) also supported his story and also came clean publicly about how they contributed to the misunderstanding? That would have given closure to all of them. And yes- I am very bitter that Ae-Jung never explained herself to Ha-nee about how the misunderstanding occurred. What was that???? Does not go with the "best mother" image that the drama had built up for her until then. That should have been her moral dilemma....how do I come clean to my daughter who might hate me for depriving her of her father based on a misunderstanding. If there had been that scene, it would have been so powerful to show the mother-daughter bond by how they make up and get through it. Instead, poor Dea-Oh gets to explain it all in a couple of sentences. And Ha-nee accepts it without any emotion?????? A teenager who has been looking for her father until then?? really? So sad to see something that could have been beautiful ruined by lack of depth in the last 1 hour :(

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Everything about this show was perfection except Dae-Oh. Literally from the first moment he was introduced and we learned his connection to Ae-jung I thought he was completely selfish and self-centered. In each episode, he only proved how selfish he was. I feel like the added the bit of Ryu deleting the text and phone call to make you have pity on him for not reaching out to her but the truth is even if she hadn't called him he still NEVER reached out to the love of his life. He was so self centered he believed she would come waltzing back to him. Yeon-woo should have gotten the girl. He literally listened to her, supported her, and then backed off when she asked him to. He was always considerate and never once abandoned her.
Dae-oh is horrible. I don't have words to describe my hatred for him. Once again he forced her to become cinderella. He essentially mansplained her, her own career! He didn't try to grow with her he decided that once again his own interests were more important and disappeared. "I am male therefore I make the smart decisions, blah blah blah." He's selfish. I'm not sure if we're allowed to cuss on this forum so I am restraining myself in this post. He is toxic. I bet the next hurdle that arrives he leaves again. Ae-jung has horrible taste in men. Unfortunately, you always feel connected to the father of your kid but she and Ha-nee deserved more. Thank goodness for Yeon-woo who was able to be the father figure Ha-nee deserved.

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The show suffered from the lack of chemistry between the OTP, particularly as Song Ji-Hyo's sex appeal seemed to be in the negatives. Dae-Oh was fine, but Ae-Jung just came across as someone you'd rather not meet, I just couldn't get onboard. Compare that with Pa-Do and Suk-Hee where the few (sadly) interactions were sizzling. Show would have improved by 1) different lead actress, 2) better writing for the lead actress and 3) developing relationship between Pa-Do and Suk-Hee.

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Great review. Just finished the show and overall, I enjoyed it. It was interesting and the love triangles were entertaining. I totally agree that the time jump in the last episode kind of prolonged the annoyances in the two’s relationships. I would’ve loved to see them just let their hair down and be happy- or even how the relationship would have been healed. It was slightly confusing but i’m sure they did that for the dramas sake. I thought the actors did great & i loved almost all of the characters.

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The end episode portrayed too many things which were not supposed to be on one episode. Too many things we didn’t get a chance to saw them how can someone leave and come back after two years without any explanation but his woman agree on everything we didn’t see how han nee and Don chan fall in love and grew their love, we didn’t see how yoon mom and grandma became friends. Am so disappointed to be honest all these could be explained in details so us your fans to understand and enjoying as well.

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Just finished watching. The finale was a bit disappointing. I mean I feel bad for Ae Jung cause she was hurt that Dae-Oh left AGAIN then waited again for another 2 years but at least Dae-Oh came back. But still in that 2 years, like there was no communication between Ae Jung and Dae-Oh. I mean she deserve all the love. Then about Ha-nee, even though she told Dae-Oh that she doesn't a father, it doesn't mean that they will not show their relationship as father and daughter, well at least in the end Dae-oh was there in her wedding. I'm happy that Mr. Koo is trying his best to be the father for Dong Chan, like he's supporting him all the way. For Ryu Jin and Joo A rin, they made me smile and laugh because after waiting for someone to love them back for how many years, in the end, they got each others back. I just wished they have more scenes as a couple. I was hooked by this kdrama, I actually loved it cause it made me cry, laugh, and smile but there's really lacking to the story. For me, I just wished they add one more episode to show how they(Ae Jung, Dae-Oh and Ha-Nee) became a happy family. Still nice kdrama though.

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I loved this drama until this last episode. This last episode...this drama dead stole time from me >:[

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I am a non Korean living in the USA who just recently got hooked on kdramas. I wasn’t gonna say anything cos I have loved everything I have seen so far but gawd I hated this show. I forced myself to sit through 14 episodes but stopped when I caught myself cursing in frustration. Ah Jeong is just an awful person. I feel that Dae Oh deserved better.

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On of the hardest skills for me was to learn to drop a show. If you haven’t read through the end of year reviews the you will see there are too many of us who have been stuck watching to the bitter end hoping for a show to turn around after a promising start or because we were hopeful it would improve after a slow start. Be warned there are spoilers in these tales of disappointment but it could save you watching a show that sucks. The only problem is we all have different tastes so you may miss out on a show you could grow to love despite what other beanies say. 😊

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