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Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol: Episodes 15-16 Open Thread (Final)

As Do Do Sol Sol wraps up its final week, we’re met with a surge of hope and romance as we uncover a final secret and try to determine whether our couple will be together again. Then, the drama throws all its wonderful underpinning right out the back door with one of the worst endings I could ever imagine. Anyone have a sharp object I can hurl at my screen? I threw all of mine already.

 
EPISODES 15-16 WEECAP

I must start out by saying how much I loved this drama. It holds some of the sweetest and dearest moments in dramaland that I’ve seen in a while, and every character in Eunpo is so warm and wonderful. I will cherish the sweetness.

Much can be (and is!) forgiven in a drama that you love — random stalkers, underage hero reveals, uptight parents that rip apart made-in-heaven couples, wedding fake-outs, and more. I can forgive it all, because of how darling these characters are, and how much I love watching them. But do you know what I can’t forgive? Being jerked around in the final episode of a drama. Being fed a truly heartbreaking plot line for thirty minutes only to have it taken back in the last five, with no explanation whatsoever. Show, I simply cannot let this malfeasance slide.

Before we get to The Ending That Should Not Be, let’s run through the earlier action, because there’s a lot that’s rewarding and meaningful before everything goes to hell in handbasket.

The last quarter of Do Do Sol Sol has been full of pranks and tricks, most of which have been fun, though not exactly essential. The same lies in store with Joon and Lala’s recent breakup. All of Eunpo is reeling, but Lala has a sudden eureka moment that changes everything. She suddenly remembers meeting Joon in a coffee shop the day she lost her wallet to the stalker dude. It turns out she and Joon had a first adorable encounter there (squee level 10/10), and there was definitely something between them, but fate parted them.

But here’s the big twist: the coffee shop’s name was Dodosolsollalasol. What! All of a sudden it all comes together for Lala, and she realizes that it’s been Joon all along that was her secret benefactor and friend. It’s a little far-fetched, but I’m game — it fits and I actually love it.

Thankfully, this fact is enough for Lala to realize Joon’s heart toward her, and she messages Dodosolsollalasol, indicating she’s learned the truth. Cue yet another adorable meeting full of love confessions and togetherness. This really feels like their home stretch. We’re clued into the fact that the airport departure and dating were all fake-outs designed to make their break-up more realistic for Lala, but now that it’s in the open they can just be together, right?

Not so. One might ask why is Joon so intent on breaking the heart of his beloved. Well, his scattered nosebleeds take on an ominous meaning, and Joon is swiftly diagnosed with acute leukemia. His diagnosis shatters him and his family, and his mother softens, and lets him go to Eunpo to see Lala before they leave for the U.S. for treatment.

I hate everything about this diagnosis, and also find it inessential to the plot, but surely the drama has plans for something good to come out of it? Also, Joon and Lala are just every bit as cute as ever — exchanging couple rings, reliving all their cutest moments — I’m basically a puddle. Can we just end the drama here, with them cozied up in Lala Land?

No, we can’t. Instead, Joon continues to lie to Lala and goes to the U.S. to “study.” They text and call sweetly, but it’s hard to get behind this. It’s the most awful lie you can tell to someone you love, I think. But, I’m trying. I want to believe.

Lala plans a delightful Christmas concert for Eunpo at Lala Land. Joon is supposed to visit on his break, and they plan to play a duet after which Lala plans to propose. Be still my heart! The concert is as precious as we would expect, and all of her students play, but Joon doesn’t turn up. Instead, Lala plays along to a video recording of Joon playing. Haraboji cries, being the only person to know the truth. I’m getting a sinking feeling.

After everyone’s gone home, Lala is still waiting for Joon and his delayed plane. Instead of a jetlagged Joon, though, his mother comes in the front door instead. She looks mighty grim and is wearing something very funereal. She’s gentle about it, but essentially tells Lala that Joon had been dying of leukemia and that… yeah, he’s already dead. The recent text messages were from her, not Joon. The video of his piano performance was recorded months ago.

As can be expected, Lala loses it. It’s the most horrible kind of heartbreak mixed with an almost unbearable outrage — imagine not knowing the person you love has died? That they were sick for months and you never knew? That everyone has been lying to you but now it’s too late? That you could have been a comfort to them and shared precious time together but it’s all been stolen from you? I can’t think of a more horrifying ordeal.

All of Eunpo reacts, and we get a really convincing look at each of our characters grieving over the news. Everyone from Dr. Cha to Ha-young to Seung-gi think back on Joon and his last words (unbeknownst to them) as they cry. It’s so totally heartbreaking and really does not fit the tone of this drama at all. A tragic death of this magnitude doesn’t belong in a fluffy romcom concerned with acts of love like growing romaine lettuce and sharing family china.

It’s not that I don’t like a ballsy move — I do. I’ve written about killing off heroes, and why and how it can be really effective. I’ve even argued that fake-out hero deaths in melos and more serious dramas should just be actual deaths, because if you need to land your story’s point, I think you should do it with your whole heart.

Well, it certainly feels like Do Do Sol Sol is doing just that. I feel robbed, sad, and kind of sick, but surely there’s a moral here they have been planning all along?

Hold onto your butts, though — it’s not over yet. We jump five years into the future, where Lala is still happily running Lala Land, Dr. Cha is back together with his ex-wife, and Ha-young and Seung-gi have an adorable baby and are squabbling like exhausted parents are expected to. Joon’s memory is cherished by everyone in town, and it’s quite touching… but what is the point of it? What did we gain from this gush of tragedy? I appreciate seeing that everyone is fine, but it still feels like something is missing.

One evening Lala plays the lovely piece that was Joon’s welcome home song. She/we remember him running up the hill to meet her… and then we see non-dead Joon doing just that. Wait, what?!

They share a teary embrace and immediately go to the hilltop where they’ve had all their heart-to-hearts. Lala is crying her eyes out in shock as one would expect in such a situation, and asks if Joon is a ghost. He kisses her to prove he’s not a ghost. Then, to explain The Cruelest Lie in History and his five-year absence, he merely says, “I wanted to return after I was fully recovered.” And then the drama is over. Yes, really.

So, Joon did not die. Instead, he and his mother lied to the woman he loves, putting her through an unthinkable agony, only to turn up and laugh on the hilltop when they reunite and Lala is hysterical crying. I can’t buy for a second that the sweet and devoted Joon would have actually done any of this. Also, his mother must be utterly soulless.

Leaving a drama feeling like you could punch through a wall can be a good, cathartic feeling when the drama is just that affecting, and the emotions transfer onto you that strongly. But leaving a drama wanting to punch through a wall because you feel that you as a viewer, and the story as an entity, have just been shamelessly abused? That’s another thing entirely.

Show, I will never forgive you for this tomfoolery. You’ve just handed me one of the worst endings I’ve ever seen, taking the worst possible route, and the weakest. Either have Joon die and use it to teach us all something, or just don’t bother taking us on this meaningless, useless, and unexplained death fake-out. Better yet, cut out his entire illness plot arc, and let us see their relationship mature, and see Lala win over his family. That would have fit. That would have been enjoyable, in-character, and consistent with the drama’s tone.

Alas, bad endings are bad endings — and there’s no way to sugar coat this one. All the joy I got from this drama has been overshadowed by this piss-poor ending. Hopefully that will change with time, and I’ll be able to remember Eunpo with a smile, like I want to. Indeed, this was one of my favorite drama settings and drama couples of the year. But, until that happens, I’m desperately seeking anyone that found this ending remotely logical, or even slightly satisfying. Are you out there? Can you share any pearls of wisdom?

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WTF she thought he was dead for five years and his mom just let her think that!? Ra-ra asked, "Are you saying Joon is dead?" and Mom never even denied it?! I wish he had recorded a message after the video of him playing the piano. When Joon didn't talk from the time he walked into LaLa Land to the time Ra-ra hit him for being a heartless bastard, I figured he was a dream. Except he wasn't. This boy was better off dead.

Can't this show just do one thing at a time?? The "dodosolsolalalsol" reveal was heart-stopping when Ra-ra glanced up at the café's name. OMG this is the ultimate meet-cute. How cute would it have been if Joon gave Ra-ra a list of everything she owed him (hospital fee, Mimi's vet bill, Juju's car repair) and the last thing on his list was watermelon juice?

But instead, we get high schooler, runaway chaebol, truck of doom, psycho stalker, noble idiocy, terminal illness, three time skips, fake girlfriend, and fake death? One past connection allowed per drama.

Honestly, I never got over the fuckery of Joon being a minor, so when the rest of these eye-rolling tropes happened, I was nonplussed.

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Imagine Joon popping up out of the blue after all this years and Rara showing she is married and happy having moved on...

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Imagine Ji-ah (who shouldn't be sitting on a piano bench unsupervised) is Ra-ra's baby with her happily married husband...

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Would Joon still laugh?

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Ahh that woulda been nice

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I watched these last two episodes in full-on hate-watch mode: dry-eyed, arms crossed, the grim expression of a professional facing a ten-car pileup on the freeway. Even then, I was surprised by just how horribly it ended; five years of an entire town grieving, and our suddenly self-obsessed and shallow lead laughs it off. I'm not even going to think about the sweet times, because now it all feels like a 15-hour setup for a cruel practical joke. It was The Ending That Never Happened in the Drama Without a Name. I plan on forgetting the whole thing as soon as possible, except to maybe assign it a Poison Bean at the end of the year. Can we have a poison bean, please?

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I should have stopped watching after the original twist of him being a senior in highschool! I kept waiting for that twist to make sense or have a purpose... but nope! What would have been more interesting is if the 5-year time jump had happened after he went back to school and the last 6 or 7 episodes be them reconnecting in the adult world. But sigh- a lot of could have/should haves with this one.

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I'll pretend this drama ended at episode 12. Jun and Rara ran away into the sunset without any terminal illness and cruel breakups.

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The writer must have only had the storyline plotted out to 12. How else to explain all the playback scenes near the end and stupid plot lines that were obviously inserted and had nothing to do with the first 12 episodes?

Random girl crush? Random cancer? Tons of playback? S/he sold a script up to episode 12 and then couldn’t figure out what else to do.

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In defense of the drama it didn't need more than 12 episodes. The last 4 episodes was a Wattapad fan fiction on crack. There that explains everything.

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I feel like it's a shame that the writer didn't seem to know what to do for the last 4 episodes since I could see quite a few routes. The last 4 episodes should have been used to solve the rift between Joon and his parents. That rift was what made Joon run away and bump into Ra-ra. If the leukemia story had to happen, they could have gotten Eunpo crew to support him and also put together a bone marrow registry drive and get the word out about how it's less likely for asians to find a bone marrow match. The writer built a community and a rich cast of characters who can stand on their own and a theme of resilience.

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The last 4 episodes were full of tropes. It seems like the writer just dump whatever is left on her Trope List to fill up the minutes. I rather she just wrapped up the drama with episode 12.

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Nope, can't help. Just sat staring at me screen going, "Whaaaaaaat???" I'm going to say it: to do what Jun and his mother did to Rara was beyond wrong. How on earth could the writer think the audience would find this entertaining? And how does this even make sense of Jun's character???? Bleeeuuuuurgh!

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I did notice that Jun's mother never said he was dead, so I thought he might be in a coma and never expected to recover (but, you know, would surprise everyone) -- until we got the five year time skip. Everyone had accepted his death and the drama even had the audacity to tease us with Ra-ra and the baby and Daddy. Did she really make a new life after Jun? Nope, not her baby. That's OK, because who wasn't happy to see Ha-young and Seung-gi and their little Jia? Probably the best moment of the episode. Still waiting for the moral of this cruel twist on our silly, sunny story -- and Jun runs in the door like he never left, for thirty seconds of carefree reunion?

From the moment the stalker grabbed Ra-ra, this drama lost its way. It didn't know how to let Jun grow up and come back. When he seemed to have died, I thought, "That's why the age difference didn't matter." But no, it was a cheap trick.

I actually am planning to watch the rest of Start Up, and then take a hiatus from dramaland. Because when a sweet story goes off the tracks like this and plays mean games with your investment in its characters, why bother????

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Maybe instead of taking a complete break from dramaland, watch dramas that have finished airing? That way you can check on feedback before picking it up. It might not be as fun as watching and commenting live but at least you can avoid the trainwreck ones.

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Yeah this drama made me decide to take a break too. I'm on ep 6 of Start-up and wanted to catch up & finish it, but it seems like people are going through it rough because of that show. So I might just do a clean break.

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She didn't say he was dead on screen, but I assumed she said it off-screen because the 5 years later flashforward revealed that they thought he was dead. You're right that Joon running in like he never left was cruel.

Now question is: so did he go the whole 9 yards and put up a fake grave too for them to all visit?

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I'd like to believe that Jun's mom came in sincerity. I'd like to believe she didn't correct Ra-ra because she believed Jun was near death. But it's frankly hard to believe even that, because what Mom would go to Eun-po to cry and return a teacup when her son was dying someplace else far away. It just doesn't work.

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Yeah who would leave their child when they are at death's door. I feel like he must have died a few days before by the time the mom visited. Joon and Ra-ra have been texting and calling a lot. I can't seen Joon's mom pretending to be Joon for an entire month.

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I have no pearls of wisdom, as I didn't watch ep 16 after all the meltdowns on the wall. I feel like I won't be able to watch Lee Jaewook in another drama if I watch this ending.

I guess it must be suuuuuuper hard to write a drama ending well (or even mediocrely) as the great majority of drama endings I would classify as not good. Although, most of them don't make me mad.

Thanks for weecapping, missvictrix!

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Please don’t put any blame on Lee Jae-wook.
Any blame for this drama rests squarely on the shoulders of Writer Oh Ji Young and those who should have been supervising the production.

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“Alas, bad endings are bad endings — and there’s no way to sugar coat this one. All the joy I got from this drama has been overshadowed by this piss-poor ending. “ - I’m still cussing in my head 🤬🤬🤬 This is the worst ending I have ever seen! Way worst than Scarlet Heart. I’m going to try my very best to erase this drama from my memory.

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And I have been avoiding to watch Scarlett ryo even though I love Lee Ji eun, because of its bad ending! 🙄
But man, after this... whatever other drama is good....

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Atleast in Scarlet Heart, you can anticipate the heart break. Gosh, I don’t know what Dodo’s writer was thinking or if she/he was thinking at all!

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Tell me about it! 🙄

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It's hard to write a good ending. There's a lot of pressure and sometimes the audience isn't ready to bid farewell to the drama. With the korean drama industry churning out a lot of dramas, there are a lot of bad endings out there. But sometimes, the ending is like so bad that you wonder wtf happened and why no one stopped it.

Not sure if anyone was there for the How I Met Your Mother infamously terrible finale many years ago, but it felt like that but not as bad because I invested years into watching HIMYM. It took me a few years, but now I still rewatch HIMYM despite the betrayal and I invested YEARS into that series. I just skip the ending and the parts that remind me of how much I hated the ending. I hope I can do that again one day with DDSSLLS since there are a lot of good things about it.

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The thing about kdramas is I feel like endings can be better and normal rushed endings can be forgiven with the short time frame. HIMYM is like years of buildup which make a bad ending more infamous.

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I remember the HIMYM tomfoolery. I still cant watch reruns. Thr anger runs too deep. 9 years and your just going to end it like that? ARE. YOU. SERIOUS

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A list of alternative titles for this drama:
- Do a Deer a Female Deer, Re a Drop of Golden Sun, Me a Name I call Myself, F a Long long way to RUUUUUUUUUUUUN SO! A needle pulling thread! La! A note to follow so! TI! A drink with jam and BREEEEEEAD that will bring us back to Do do do do…
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
- Ah! vous dirai-je, maman
- A B C D E F G
- How do Ruin Your Drama 101
- Bad Drama Ending #748
- Just Watch Shopping King Louis Instead
- LJW’s First Lead And You DO THIS TO HIM
- The Audacity
- The Least Expected Trainwreck
- Objectively, the latest addition to the Defenestration Club, and the Endosolistration Club
- As Dead as a Dodo

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@sicarius My favorite is "The Audacity" 😂

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"- Just Watch Shopping King Louis Instead"

Actually, I think I will, thank you.

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The Least Expected Trainwreck

Yup.

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LJW’s First Lead And You DO this TO HIM.
In no way do I blame the actors for what happened.
Someone (besides the Writer, maybe a Director, a Producer, a Netflix person) was asleep at the switch.
I will post some positive comments below but...

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I didn't watch this drama, only reading recaps here and there. But gosh, that ending!!

I really hope this drama is some sort of rites for Lee Jae-wook so that he won't need to go through another bad drama again later in his upswing career. No one deserved this kind of drama ending and careless character assasination.

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I like The Audacity and Least Expected Trainwreck.
And Ill humbly submit

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I haven't written a comment on DB in a long time, like a really long time, but this drama made me want to come out and say a thing or two.

I'll be honest, I have yet to completely finish the final episode. I cried my eyes out in episode 14-15 and needed a break from crying, so I stopped 10 minutes into it. I just really can't believe the ending of this show was this bad.
Like, I've been watching dramas for about 10 years now and I've seen dumb endings (Big, Korean Odessey..looking at you), but I think this one takes the cake. I could take the other cliche plot bc there was always reasoning behind it. Jun lying to everyone about his age, the stalker thing (ew but i thought would be the worst thing to happen), the death of the friend and her dad, but the main lead getting cancer? come on, that's too much. I never once suspected he was going to be sick. The only foreshadowing I can think of is of Man-bok and his wife's story paralleling theirs, but even that seemed like a long shot. It just doesn't make sense that they added this in the LAST FREAKIN EPISODE!! It really is sick and cruel of Jun to even think of doing that and then expect her to accept him with open arms? Nah, I'd kick him where it hurts the most and never want to talk to him again. They aren't going to last long at all if he continues to lie and keep MAJOR LIFE CHANGING EVENTS like that from her.
ok, also why didn't the mother go with him abroad to get treatment? Like, he was only 19 shouldn't she have gone with him?
I just can't with his ending and I really don't want to watch the last episode yet.

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also hated how he just laughed it off bc joking about your gf being utterly distraught and confused is something that's so funny. like bro, I think you need to go to therapy for real for real

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The fact that HE. JUST. LAUGHS. and doesn't even actually apologize was the most infuriating and I'm side-eyeing all parties involved in the production of this for that choice. Like did nobody at any point go, maybe this is not such a great idea?

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Ra-ra should have been like "you like pretending to be dead? try the real thing!" and push him off the cliff. I do wonder if the writer meant for Joon to be dead (since the writing about life moving forward and how to cherish the memories of our dead loved ones seemed pretty good) and if there was some interference from the PD or higher ups to make him alive. He only comes back in the last few minutes and then it's the end.

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Yes, that was my thought. The writer was going to finish it with Jun dead and Rara moving on to acceptance and growth, much as Man-bok moved on and kept loving others after the death of his wife. Not the greatest of endings considering the tone of the drama up to ep12, but it would have hung together ok. But the last 3 minutes - some random person suddenly said, "But we need a happy ending!" and they got the work experience student to pen it...

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Rara be like,"here is my husband and i'm happy !" Don't take me for granted dying all alone and sad...

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I can't agree more with you bout the dumb ending. I've considered Korean Odessey's ending as the perfect model of dumb ending but this one has actually snatched that title. The frustration is real with this one

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I did not watch this drama but saw the angry fan posts in the beanie. I was thinking, "How bad could it be?" Yup, it has a worse ending than I imagined. My thoughts are with you Beanies.

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Thank you. The ones who sticked with it until the end (that includes me) will need lots of therapy and empathy from this day on 😕😣😥😳😲😦😤😒😖😫

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That's also me. I as so curious that I watched (by FF, obviously) the last episode yesterday, and then I read the recap, and.... OMG, this ending makes Where the stars land's ending a logical one.
Beanies who gave their heart to this show didn't deserve this ending. You are heroes.

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I'm sorry I have no deeper insight either. The ending was so unlike any of the characters! I saw someone's comment on twitter and I absolutely agree: Even if Jun pretended to be dead to Rara, he'd NEVER pretend to be dead to Haraboji. He even wrote a letter to Haraboji about him being sick, why would he lie about being DEAD? I'm going to pretend that no one told anyone about Jun being dead and the folks at Eunpo just waited for Jun to get better and come back to them. There, the end.

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Someone should do an edit of the ending. With a voice actress similar to Go A-ra, redo her voiceover that say something like "Joon had been getting treatment in the US and his parents are with him. They are lovely people and really love their son. From Eunpo, we're praying for him. We lost contact after the first year, but we held onto hope that he is getting better and will return to us one day."

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I didn't watch 16.
I read spoilers and got a recap and just abandoned it lol. As it was I was struggling to get through 13 and 14, let alone 15.

In my opinion this ending is merely a result of poor storytelling and planning, direction and vision, and not simply yet another show that has exploded in our faces at the last minute. I think it the signs where there earlier- as early in fact, as the age reveal in episode 5.

I summed it up in various places on the fanwall but:

The writer didn't know what she was doing with her own story or how to resolve the conflicts she set up or what the implication of her set ups even were and so it derailed and then spiraled, as soon as the age reveal happened.
They didn't know what to do with the story from there: how to handle that reveal correctly or where to take it. The story overall has very little plot and lie of his age and its aftermath, after the stalker, was the only real remaining conflict, which didn't have the correct execution in its set up in the first place to be handled with nuance, so ofc... it wasn't afterwards either. When episode 8 came around, the show floundered, unsure of where to go. It was if just resolving it with a time jump then and there, mostly angst free, and then a happy ending wasn't allowed, and so the age issue was dragged out, jumping back and forward, the dreams and aspirations of our leads abandoned, and slowly more and more threads unraveled. By the time we got to the OTHER important reveal, that of who the titular Dodo was, which the show hadn't properly developed either nor addressed the implications of, the emotional weight that should or could have had was lost due to the yarn ball being entirely decimated, and then it only had to explode entirely at the end, in a forced trope fest to rival kdramas for eons, to finish its final evolution.

I do not think the writer MEANT to so assassinate her characters, neither do I think that she is a hack that never cared about them. The start was genuine.
I think she got lost, and didn't know where to take her own story, or how to get there even if she did.
It's interesting to compare, considering how many dramas are airing right now that revolve solely around the concept of lies and the consequences thereof.

I think ultimately Dodo's proper mistake really, is not the leukemia, or the shit show of a last episode; it's not treating the small lies of who Dodo is, and Jun keeping both his age and that from her in the beginning, with due narrative respect, underestimating what those would actually take to resolve well. Lies are not the same as Louis' Amnesia.

I don't even think it would've necessarily HARD to resolve well, but nonetheless it failed; they freaked out and fell back on tropes instead.

(To be honest, I would even dare to hazard a guess that the makers of this show aren't even aware of what they did. )

P.S. They changed Lala's styling after episode 8, and it...

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...killed her character also. *sighs*

RIP Dodo.

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Well I hope if they weren't aware of what they did they'll find out now from the viewers reactions. I wonder what the Korean audience thought of the ending? I hope some constructive criticism reaches the writer and they will plan any future works better. It's a shame because I know based on Shopping King Louie that the talent to write a good all around drama is there.

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Idk though... It's not like it's the first time a drama has done this. Are Knetz enraged? I wouldn't know. Didn't kdramas of old all used to be like this? haha

Yeah I don't think I'm gonna abandon the writer for this- but it certainly will make me cautious and wary of her next drama. The next show will be the deal breaker I think. Whether she falls into the same trap again or not. Whether her writing continues to worsen.

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For people who would like an appropriate word to enact upon this drama for revenge, I present to you two I have found very useful in the past:

Defenestration: To throw out of a window,
and for when that is not enough,
Endosolistration: To throw into the sun.

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As in the Defenestration of Prague: The historical event that led to the Thirty Years War- another total disaster that was arguably worse than these last two episodes.

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I like how the implication here is that to use the word defenestration on bad kdramas is to incite bad luck and MORE bad kdramas lmao

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I would go with guillotine. I would like to sever the bad ending episodes from the good beginning.

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In fact you are right- tell people to stop watching after episode 12.

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I would go back to episode 8. After which a big sign is put up on the lot: DO DO PRODUCTION CLOSED AND CANCELLED DUE TO COVID.

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That works too.

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The last quarter of this show has made me more and more mad each episode in. To the point I needed to come out of being a shadow visitor on this site to vent. The plot twist after plot twist became even so predictable that I didn't believe anything that was happening anymore. The fact that the mother never said out loud he is dead made me go, "Nope, this is just a plot twist, again" but the fact then the show spent so much of the last episode to mourn his death was just so we will buy into it to go "gotcha" for the last 5 mins??!! (but no time at all on the passing of Manbok?? That is just disrespectful!) I think the show had no goal other than some cheerful scenes at the beginning to get you hooked and then throw as many plot twists and craziness as possible. The cuteness, warmth, love that were building in this show, all gone by the last few episodes. Why they decided to take the harder route to wrap this show up is beyond any logic. I can only try and blame covid throwing curveball for filming?! To give myself a sliver of peace, I'm choosing to think that he really was a ghost coming back as there's no evidence he's real. Rara asked the question twice. How could they have not attended his funeral or visited his grave in those 5 years?!? That is only slightly more platable as a show ending for me than him being alive after actually "ghosting" his Eunpo family for 5 years and being all chirpy about it. What potential for this show. Unbelievable.

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The ghost ending was the only option I liked for making this vaguely palatable. Unfortunately, in order to make it work, I felt Rara had to die too (hence explaining the 'real' kiss). Not too happy and ending, but I'll still take it over the alternative.

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I am now probably indefinitely paused. If the writer wanted to separate them, especially to have a time skip there were much better ways.
J could of went to Stanford while Ra Ra built her business, mourned her father, and lived on her own for a little bit.

If they just had to go along with the fake death then they need to give the audience time to process all the emotions along with Ra Ra. Granted none of us would of probably felt like forgiving him or enjoyed the storyline, but it is better than ending on what feels like the hero laughing at the heroine's pain and the viewers'.

But really they should of just sent the kid of to University for a few years.

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What is especially maddening is that throughout the show, it's actually been subversive of drama tropes like there was no secret plot by the secretary and Rara and Jun's mom's meeting being civil and then it goes goes and ends with not just one, but two of the worst tropes done in the worst ways. It felt like there was so much care writing everything up until the end and like the writer left or something and one or two other people came in and one wrote the illness plot and left and the last person added one last twist and called it a day. Seriously, what happened?? How did they drop the ball so horrendously like this???

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That is definitely what made me mad. It subverted a lot of tropes and was like a kinder surprise. When the mother visited, I assumed it was to say that Joon had been severely ill *cry* and he has to stay in the hospital (which was in Korea and not in the US) a little longer. And that she had been wearing that black outfit since she hadn't had a chance to send out her clothes to get laundered. I was still hopeful...or maybe in denial...even when seeing the other characters cry.

I was gut-punched when the it was revealed it was dead for the last 5 years. I was hoping the timeskip would reveal that he recovered 6 months after the christmas party and that because of his brush with death, his parents decided to let him embrace life and allowed him to get a degree in math. And today was his graduation day!

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This was actually a makjang, but disguised in a cute packaging. Bride left at the altar, bankruptcy,secret underage runaway chaebol son, dead friend via truck of doom, stalker, kidnapping, opposing parents, noble idiocy, terminal illness, someone faking their death, coming back from said death. All it was missing was an evil twin with a side of amnesia. Despite that, most of it somehow totally works and it was fun and cute, but unfortunately in the end it went a fakeout too far. The Eunpo community stayed lovely until the end but Jun... 5 years? Not 5 hours, not 5 days, not 5 weeks, not 5 months but 5 YEARS. He just comes back 5 years later as if nothing happened and he just laughs about it as if it's funny? What if Ra Ra had moved on with her life in that time? At least they should have said he was in a coma or something for him to be excused. Heck I think I would've even prefered him being a ghost. Or his evil twin to really complete the makjang-ness of it all, because how is this the same Jun that escaped from his parents and orchestrated a whole switcheroo just because Ra Ra fell of her bike? I'd take anything but what we got. It wasn't even noble idiocy because there was nothing noble about that,  per his words he did it because he just didn't want her to see him like that, not because he actually wanted her to move on or to spare her pain. I can't wrap my head around what the writer was thinking. Since this drama loves fakeouts so much I'll just think the last two episodes were a fakeout and Jun didn't actually lead Ra-Ra to believe he was dead for 5 years.

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A very cruel makjang indeed.

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When you put it that way, the ending actually makes sense. The story I thought I was watching was: Ra-ra is cruelly awakened from her sheltered life but discovers her own strength, a community of friends, and love with Jun in Eun-po." Somehow the warmth of that community disguised what this show really was about - playing with makjang tropes. The writer may have had fun dragging out all those tropes and upending them, but from here they look like a series of cheap tricks held together only by the strength of the characters we came to know and love. If the writer wanted to play this kind of game, she shouldn't have mixed it up with our neighborhood in Eun-po. Those characters deserved a better story.

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Yes, these characters deserved a better story

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It's that 5 years that's really bugging me. I think the Jun is dead fakeout could have worked if it was a misunderstanding and not something Jun intentionally did. Like maybe Ra Ra finding from haraboji about Jun's sickness and then when she calls his parents or the hospital it appears to her and the audience that Jun died. Everyone mourns. Then not after 5 years, but much sooner Jun shows up and is surprised that Ra Ra thinks he is dead. He was just too sick to call or text her, it was all a huge misunderstanding, he is very apologetic about it, in no way does he think her crying about it is funny, nor does he laugh like her pain is no big deal. Or some other explanation that would save Jun from coming across like a jerk. And if it was a time skip they wanted Jun could've went to college for real after his disease. I usually like this writers trolling, but it should never happen to the detriment of the story and characters. Not only was that twist annoying but the ending felt really rushed. He just shows up, then happy ever after? Make it make sense. If not for that this drama would've been a new favourite, now I have conflicting feelings about it. I'll try to remember the cute of which there was plenty.

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I have to congratulate you on writing a far better, more logical and fitting ending for this show than what the writer chose to inflict upon us.

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It was his laughing while she was crying that really bothered me. Like he didn’t care and she would take him back regardless

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Honestly, I’m thinking that Lee Jae Wook just couldn’t keep a straight face with that ending 🤦🏼‍♀️

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SRSLY WHAT THE HECK ENDING. i cannot

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5 years, people! If you guys had been always complaining about Oh my Venus-one year apart after stupidest car accident ever, and the other typical one or two years time apart in other dramas... well, stop complain and start appreciating those writers who fell into the separation-trap-trope but at least didn't pretend to kill their heroes (unless you are taking of a sageuk, maybe) 🙄 just to bring them back again, like @missvictrix said, without an explanation. 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
But wait a second. Here, we are talking about something that you just cannot explain... and doesn't make sense at all.
I am so upset!!!!
You cannot make everybody believe a person died and put them into the grieving process for 5 years just to tell them later, I wanted to be healed before seeing you again. How about my being healed from all this grieving!???😠

This writer! I also cannot forgive. I write myself and no, this is not something a writer should do. 🙅
It was making us audience a joke.
I feel sorry for the actors. Poor Lee Jae wook, poor Go Ara....
They didn't deserve this.

Anyway... I could rant more, but now I want to read your comments, which most likely are similar to mine.

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Poor Go Ara and Lee Jae-wook indeed, victims of drama writing malpractice. At least the first 12 episode were wonderful.

In fact what makes the choice to stay away for so long is that Ra-ra would normally have had sufficient time to grieve and move on. I could easily picture Jun showing up after 5 years to be met by Ra-ra holding her baby in her arms while her husband is looking over her shoulder asking who this Jun guy is.

Also, once Dr. Cha's ex had made up her mind to get her man back- which carried with it the immediate realization that this meant moving from Seoul to this smaller oceanside city- That process need only have taken a year at most.

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Agree.... I was like, what if she had moved on and got married instead??? What was Jun thinking??? (And then I remembered, It's not Jun's fault, but the stupid writer! 😂😂😂😂)
To think that Shopping king Louie was so good in his own way! 😲
I can't believe it!

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He was really pressing his luck when he expected to just waltz into the piano school 5 years later and have her still be be there, still be the same, still be single. I mean, of course she was still single, since they are the leads. But I'm thinking about when 2nd leads pull this "I'm having something terrible/cancer in my life and want to spare you the burden" trope on a lead character in other dramas. When they resolve whatever it was, they do not get a second chance.

The guy who pursued Ra-ra when he was just a runaway high school student, who was sooo anxious when another guy expresses interest in her, and who pulled Ra-ra from that wedding (to a working doctor) just does not feel like it can be the same guy who pushed her away twice and stayed away for 5 years, letting her think he was dead.

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Of course he was not! That was a total disaster from the writer. Poor Lee Jae wook! 😒😖😫

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Yes, the writer did bad for the actors. They really did a great job only to be slammed by the writer's ineptitude.

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I don't think it's only the end that is bad but Jun's character. During all the drama, he lied and ran away. He lied about his age, DDSSLD, his girfriend, his illness and his death. Everytime he ran away like a teenager. Rara was a baby too but at least she was honest. This couple was disapointing.

I watched this drama for the other characters.

The writter couldn't remake her past success with Louie. She tried but failed.

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Wasn't Terius was after though? People liked that didn't they? I haven't seen it myself.

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If it's the same writer that did Terius, then yeah it was really good.

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Yeah, it's the same writer. But I was talking about Louie because the both stories are similar : a rich boy/girl who lost everything and had to grow up with the help of a girl/boy.

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Terius was not really that good. Just we loved it because of the kids.... But it was not really good.
Now after this, I doubt this writer will or can recover. He or she is lost forever🙄😆😂😒😒😒

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Similar MO. Neighborhood group that warms the heart and cute kids. Side characters overshadow the end. In last 3 minutes, Romance implied after 1 year time jump.

Weird issue too. FL was recent widow when they met, which worried fans. How could she move on so fast? Kids too. They bonded quickly.

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Kids? I think they never knew that their father was dead. It was pretty weird.

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I also remember I felt uncomfortable how she had overcome so quickly her husband's death...
I found all the espionage stuffs very lacking, and the romance was not necessary either.
I would have been happier with them behaving like family, due to that natural bonding with children.... he just rescuing her and the new friend he made with Son Ho jun's character, and after that quitting the spy agency, bla bla bla, which was supposed what he wanted from the beginning, instead of bringing her in.
Maybe in such a context, it would have been good to imply they could become a couple, but at the very end....
I would have been happy with that end

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It wasnt?! That could explain why all I really remember is stoic actor and flipping adorable babies.

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So Ji Sub playing his stock stoic character being softened up by the kids was hilarious, I thought.

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I liked Terius but it had a lovely cast. Either I read somewhere or my strong imagination decided thatbthwres to be a second season. I want a second season. So it could be the imagination took over.

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Speaking of Louie, he never lied.... except that one time when he faked out having amnesia again, but that was for only one hour the most.... Louie would have never lied to Bok shil...
That is why I trusted this writer again, but see what happened?! 😡

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There were a lot of similarities but better written in Louie. For example, Louie fell in love with Bok Shil at the first sight when he saw her on TV. But because of the amnesia, he forgot about it, so he really fell in love with her by knowing her.
Louie was clueless but Bok Shil was the opposite of Jun, she was nice with him but scolded him when he messed up. Jun was cold but helped everytime Rara.
I think the relationship was better balanced, both of them helped each other. Rara couldn't really help Jun because he hides everything from her.

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I completely agree. I've seen this whole, "I'm really sick but not going to tell you," trope used so many times. This was one of the worst. I don't understand why his mother lied. That was never explained. Why he lied. I mean, what a great relationship. The ending felt like it was written by five-year olds. So, so bad.

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And I absolutely agree! That was mean of the show to announce Jun's death and then revive him at the last minute?!! I loved the show for it's lighthearted depiction of love, got a little pissed when Jun became younger than Ra-ra but still more mature than her. And the ending just made me ask WHY?! did you do this to me?

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I loved this show too, Miss Victrix, and cannot for the life of me figure out why the writer chose to mess it up with these senseless final two episodes. They made no sense dramatically and were even inconsistent with what had gone on before.

IN fact the episodes were absolutely irrational.

Words simply cannot express my disappointment. These episodes were nothing less than a crime against the viewers and we can only hope that the drama gods will take notice and punish the writer in a suitable fashion.

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I started watching this drama because of its bright, light, happy and sweet appeal. It became my happy pill because it never failed to make me laugh and swoon at its leads. I was shocked at first when they revealed that Jun was a senior high school student but was able to see past it when I saw their interactions. Rara is older but is like a baby and Jun is younger but wise beyond his years. I was invested and even accepted the fact that there will be angst and tears when the big reveal finally happens. BUT the show gave us plot twist after plot twist. Until the break up of Ep. 12, the show still made perfect sense but the fake wedding, the fake girlfriend, the fake break up, and the fake death made it so ridiculous and illogical. What were they thinking?! Did the writer really think that its funny and brilliant to tease her audience to the point of exasperation and rage?! Plot wise all the fake outs were unnecessary, character wise they were unfair to the Jun we all loved and to Rara whose only fault is to be the kindest, sweetest and understanding female lead I have seen in a while, logic wise -there was no logic whatsoever. I was prepared for the long wait after Rara broke up with Jun because it made perfect sense that he completes his education first and become the adult that Rara deserves. I was thinking that a 5 year jump was not too bad if he'll complete his CSAT and medical degree all the while Rara grows mature too and becomes independent without Jun's help then they can have courtship again, this time more mature and funnier than ever because during the intervening years Rara is still in contact and comforted by DDSSLLS which turned out to be Jun after all. It pains me whenever I think about the potential of this drama. GAR and LJW's chemistry is off the charts, they should have banked on this strength and made the drama light, fluffy, funny and sweet until the end. So why show??? why????

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I'm also upset that the wonderful chemistry between Go A-ra and Lee Jae Wook was treated like this. It's going to hard to find two characters and actors who can have that sort of chemistry again.

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Episode 16 was a complete waste of time. I learned nothing new about the characters. It existed purely for emotional manipulation and fillers. It would have been better to delete the Leukemia twist. Jun leaves at episode 15 at the airport because he is actually going to the US to study. Then we get an epilogue. RaRa plays twenty fingers and you can add the last 5 minutes of episode 16. Instead of coming back from the grave, Jun is back from the US after 5 years. He surprises RaRa. They go to the hilltop for a talk. RaRa proposes saying that she's finally returning his precious money. The end.

The writer must think viewers are stupid. They think we would happily accept that ending just because it's happy. Looking back, she was already planning for this twist the whole time - nosebleeds, breakup, "How would you feel if I suddenly disappear/I hope you'll hold onto me too."

I liked the lack of plot in the beginning. It's what made the show charming. They didn't do any of the characters justice (harabeoji dies offscreen, Jun suffers by himself, and RaRa was made a fool of). The twists didn't need to be there. In fact the only twist I loved was how they truly met. I should have know this was gonna be a makjang the moment her dad dies ON HER WEDDING DAY.

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This sounds so terrible. I am lucky in hindsight to have abandoned ship at episode 13 1/2. I miss Lee Jae Wook already, but am not ready to see him battle leukemia and/or cruelly break everyone's hearts when his whole character in this drama was built upon being the sweetest sweetheart of them all.
A little curious though - what happened to Mimi in the end? Was she still living in Lalaland? Did she start a career in becoming the world's most talented, cutest and tiniest dog pianist?

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Mimi in a Santa outfit. That was hilarious.

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Maybe she can get a spin-off series. I expect great things from this actor dog, if someone even created her/its own asianwiki page, the sky is the limit! Or... did the dog to it itself?

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Actually... I would praise the writer only in that she kept consistency with Mimi, and Mimi was there until the very end, dressing beautifully.
See, I remember the drama super Daddy Yeol, with Lee Dong-gun, which was, more or less a very mediocre drama, and one of my biggest complain was that they forgot about the dog halfway through although after the beginning it was like the little girl couldn't live without it.
Here, we had Mimi, yes... But if you ruine Jun's arc... is it worth it?? Not even Mimi was a consolation for me.
I hated this ending! 😡
Stupid writer!

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The last two episode utterly destroyed what was an amazing drama. Why the writer thought it was needed is beyond me. If they wanted a time jump to make the age gap more palatable, they really could have had him study and be all cute keeping in contact throughout or whatever. Or any other drama land reason except for giving him like is and killing him but not really. It feels like the writer had some kind of brain melt and gave up. If they killed him off they should have kept him that way and made the ending about growth and overcoming pain and grief to be happy . That would have been a good bookend for the beginning where she moved on after her fathers death and was happy again. Ugh.. I’m just soo dissatisfied and disappointed.

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I agree! The ending did seem to be about growth and overcoming pain and grief and then Joon comes back for the last 3 minutes.

Look, I was glad to see that Joon is alive (and his running up to the flower shop and fixing his hair was admittedly very cute), but how he was made alive is infuriating and how the "Joon pretended he was dead for 5 years" thing was handled was insulting! And also a red flag. Will there be a secret gambling addiction or secret family Ra-ra will be in the dark about 10 years from now?

If they want Ra-ra to have a possible romance ending, they should have had some other guy come in as a way to say that you can find love again and then have a guest spot from one of the guys from her past works. Yoo Seung Ho? I feel like it would hurt less to see Ra-ra with Yoo Seung Ho.

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How awesome would it be if we have a Yoo Yeon-seok cameo as Chilbongi to signal a beginning of a romance! At least that would heal some of our drama broken hearts.

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I agree. I was ok with his death, because there was always that foreboding in the OST. RaRa was in a good place with good people to grieve and move on. It could have ended there. I would be sad, but with good memories.

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I lost interest of this drama after finding out Jun is a minor. I'd just been following up the recap to see if it's worth it to pick up this drama again. The ending is a definite dearth sentence to me.

I'm genuinely worry to any writers that could think of this twisted plot and think that its ok. They need serious theraphy. It is not noble idiocy to let poeple that you love think that you are dead because you don't want to be vulnerable in front of them. It is CRUEL SICK TWISTED idiocy. This is like Oh My Venus, only way worst.

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Most of all, it just doesn't make ANY sense. Oh, Jun lied because he didn't want Lala to worry... but then had his mother (extra convincing) tell Lala he was dead? I think he's just a compulsive liar, far too immature to be in a serious relationship, and needs to be kicked into the sun.

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i had to change my "thumbs up" on netflix to "thumbs down". the end.

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I know, right? 😂

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Thanks for the recap, missvictrix. I have also enjoyed enormously this drama, the 2 leads were so sweet and joyous together, great supporting characters, lots of lol and tender moments. However, that was not a fitting ending to this lovely show. I mean WTF!!!!😱🤬 The last bit when Joon came back looked like a bolt-on, smelt like a bolt-on, and it was bolt-on ending. It was as if someone belatedly realized fans will have a monumental sulk and did some last minute filming. With that final episode, I now can't make myself re-watch like I planned to. I feel like rolling on the ground having the epic tantrum 😤😡😭

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I agree with this. 100%. Ugh! I just feel so pissed at being robbed of what could have been my favorite romcom this year. I mourn for Lala and Jun. Their characters and their talented actors never deserved any of this! I hope both Go Ara and Lee Jae Wook get way better projects soon. 😫😤😭

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I have no words! This drama does not deserve words. How could the PD & writer thought that this was the good way to end a feel-good drama?!?

What went on that meeting?? Probably nothing as this was the result!

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Im interesten on what went into the mind of Lee Jae Wook and Go Ara... those poor actors surely have WTF thoughts in their head (like any normal people would) and yet they have to act on it and make it 'somewhat?' believable.

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right? I'm not sure as to how much project LJW has received but I do hope that he chooses well next time. And for first time, I finished a Go Ara drama and it's this -_-

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Kudos for everyone in the cast to inject so much warmth and humanity to each of the characters (until the character that shall not be named wasn't.) I am thankful that at least this drama doesn't make me transfer my anger for the writing to LJW.....my heart just aches for him for getting this treatment with his first lead role.

And most of all, I cannot believe this would ever happen -I even enjoy Go Ara crying scenes in this drama. So that's that.

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Yes, kudos to each cast! (fell in love with Seunggi and will be looking out for his future projects). I feel bad for LJW but he's got a long career ahead and here's to hoping he chooses well.

That, AGREE! Drama gave me a chance to look at Go Ara xD

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I've always liked Go Ara, but her melo scenes were often terrible. I thought she did a great job with the melo aspects this time around - both as Ra-ra and young Man-bok's wife.

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Hard to imagine and I know this is verging on conspiracy theory, but I wondered if the writer or someone powerful in the production soured against Lee Jae Wook? Were there production issues? Or maybe the writer got into a fight with the PD, ditched the production, and some harried staffer had to make up something and was like "eff all of this! Burn it all down!"

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That would probably explain a lot?? xD

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Those thoughts came to me too. So maybe it's not conspiracy. I was thinking maybe LJW is busy offscreen to explain his absence in the finale. Like everyone else I didn't like the last 4 episodes of the drama but I would like to point out something I appreciate in this show. The characters were not afraid of hugging including Jun's cold/cruel dad. The list of kdramas I've watched is not that long but I can't remember any other show where hugging is a natural thing. Two hugs probably stood out to me the most. When Lala/Rara hugged Jun the first time in that alley, there were no slowmo, dramatic music. It was just a hug of relief at that point but I appreciated that. Also, Seunggi and Jun's hug.

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I've spread the word about this ending being unthinkably horrendous as far and wide as possible, so I don't think I need to leave my thoughts again. Just kidding, this is what I put on the fan wall:
"HE LET HER BELIEVE HE WAS DEAD FOR FIVE YEARS.
Lala deserves better. Jun will torture her until the end of time with his malicious fucking lies.
He lost me in episode 14 for telling Lala that he didn’t like her anymore. As shown in episode 15, he could have just said he was going abroad. That was the first indication I really had that Jun was too immature to date Lala.
And then it’s revealed that he was Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol all along. Am I touched? No, I’m not. That’s ridiculous. I hate it. I hate it so much. Jun being Lala’s guardian angel has been stretched too far, it’s not cute anymore. The only way they could have fixed this was by Jun dying.
And then he did! They could have foreshadowed it more, but with his constant unexplained nosebleeds, it was plausible that Jun had cancer! If Lala was never going to pay him back, then him dying was the perfect resolution to the story. He was the star watching her from Heaven all along, it’s perfect!
BUT OH WAIT, HE JUST PRETENDED THAT HE WAS DEAD. FOR. FIVE. YEARS."

Someone help me out: is Was It Love still the worst drama of the year? I'm struggling, because that was bad the whole way through, but for this to go from being wonderful to psychopathically toxic has definitely evoked a much stronger response of hate in me. Is a consistently bad show worse, or a suddenly awful show?

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Haven't seen Was it love? but to me personally a good show with an awful ending is worse than a consistently bad one because for me the ending can make or break a show. At least with ones that are bad from the start I know what I signed up for if I continue to watch.

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I am not mad at Was It Love because in the end I was left with the feeling that Ae-jung and her harem sort of deserve each other (except maybe Pa-do.) My heart just ached for Ha-ni for having such a terrible mother, but I guess one cannot choose family. At least that show never pretended to be what it wasn't, and the revelations of Ae-jung's selfish character are shown in a slow and steady descend throughout the drama.

DDSSLLS made me a mom who refused to recognize all the little faults, ignored the warning signs, and enabled her child to grow up to be the heartless liar who preyed on lovelies and innocents.

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Oh God, you're right. We were enablist drama mums. Because it's true, I did ignore the signs. This ending wasn't ENTIRELY out of the blue, the parts of it were already there.

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No, this is worst than Was It Love.

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You know, I think what upset me the most now is that some people loved this ending. What that tells me is that they show what the writers wanted them to see, and they missed the fact that this ending (and Jun's subsequent character assassination) perpetuates seriously harmful, scary and dangerous behaviours as romantic. The writers had a responsibility to be self-conscious about what they're putting out there - for Jun not to receive any consequences for his seriously manipulative and creepy behaviour is gonna make someone out there think that this is okay.

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I surely hope no one would translate this kind of behaviour as romantic. That would just be so sad.

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I would actually like for someone to try this and then find out his love has moved on and has kids now because it's been 5 years and she thought he was dead! That creepy idiot will then complain on the Am I the Asshole subreddit and thousands of redditors will reply "YTA".

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Many thanks to missvictrix for hanging in there with this show. I dropped it after the fake wedding because I will not be trolled by writers. Somehow I get the feeling that Jun laughing from the top of the hill is actually the writing team laughing at all the fans who watched all 16 epsodes. Should all kdramas be reduced to 12 eps from now on?

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Man, that ending...That was a rough one. I really enjoyed this show pretty much the whole way. Even through the weird age thing (didn’t bother me that much honestly, 5 year age gap? *shrug*), the stalker was meh, the forced time away from each other due to...”reasons.” I could forgive it all because all the characters were so charming.

Even the shrill mother grew on me a little bit with some of the flashbacks and her grieving as her son was ill. It was just so last minute that they threw in the illness, but it definitely hit me pretty hard. “Oh, so they’re going for a sad, meloncholy ending. Not really the tone of the entire show, but I was affected so...fine, I can deal with it.” Then the last minute ASS PULL where Jun comes back and pretty much craps all over 5 years of pain and suffering with a shrug and a laugh. What. The. Hell? I figured she was still grieving and he wasn’t actually there, but nope again.

I’ll admit I wasn’t initially so mad at the ending. I think I was still in shock. But the more I think about it, the more it really deserves all the hate most folks seem to be giving it. I just don’t get it, this is a professional writer who does this for a living. Could they not tell they were just dumping all over their own characters/story by doing this? It seems obvious from the outside, and I’ve personally looked back on old work and thought I could do something better than I initially did it. But this was thoroughly bad. Impressively bad. Atrocious ending.

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I'm so glad I dropped this drama. That ending sounds just awful. For why????? This was not the time jump I wanted. WTF

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Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol
Watch this drama if you are wondering how 2020 can be made worse

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*applause*

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I loved it until episode 16. If someone leaves that off, they'll have great memories.

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omg, this just made me laugh so hard 😂

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I think the writer has seen one too many farfetched combinations of 1980s Hindi movies with identical storylines (yes the ones where 'dead' people return alive and well after getting a cure for an incurable illness). Should have just ended it at episode 14. There would have been more poignancy in having RaRa live her life fully without Jun.

And please let me sound off on:
1) The stalker guy------feels unresolved.
2) The weird sailor girl outfit.
3) Why RaRa's hair was nice and fluffy, and then went to pinstraight once they were a couple.

On the bright side, with a 5 year gap, Jun is now 24 or 25 and Ra Ra is 30 so the age gap 'scandal' can go away .
(Ok final thought....I was low-key afraid that the little baby at the end was her child with her and Jun's last 'night' together, but the math made no sense, so I let that thought go, along with the muscles that were keeping my jaw closed).
(Final final thought: I want a cell phone that turns into a fancy foldable tablet)

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On the baby -- me, too. For about 10 seconds. Like this, "What? She has his baby as consolation? They didn't just fall asleep together that night? No, wait, she married someone else? Because Daddy is alive? But not Jun, they wouldn't just pop him back in, right? Oh, it's Ha-young and Seung-gi's baby, perfect!"

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Apparently there is some sort of logic for this in the Korean mind, because a similar thing happened to me in real life. I had a friend in Korea and when I hadn't heard from her for some time, her mother asked someone else to let me know my friend had been sick for a long time and had died. I grieved for her for years. Fast forward 10 years later, her family came to the United States. We met them at the airport, and lo and behold there was my friend, not very healthy but certainly alive. The mother never explained or apologized for her lie. But as far as my friend was concerned, she thought I had broken off contact with her and didn't want to be friends with her anymore. Perhaps that is what her mother told her. We never reestablished a friendship.

Stuff that happens in k-dramas often seems so farfetched but it's drawn from real life.

This same family had a younger daughter who got a job as a housekeeper here in the US. She got fired for lying, and her reaction was, "You should have told me it wasn't ok to lie!"

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I guess I shouldn't be surprised that real life can sometimes be stranger than fiction. But still, HOLY MOLY!! That is terrible! I'm so sorry that happened to you.

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I feel terribly about this drama now because there is soooo much to like about it, and now I can't recommend it to people. It's really infused with light and warmth (even with leukemia and death). I can see how it could be a healing drama since so many of us have to deal with death this year. I love how the writer made the Eun-po family (and their actors) shine and grew Ra-ra from someone who have the skills now to look after people. For most of the series, it felt like a warm hug. I didn't even care that much about the high school reveal and was even interested on how they would resolve this. I loved how Ra-ra didn't throw a fit about it and was so patient and understanding. I hated the way Joon broke up with Ra-ra, but then he turned back and decided to have them part on the best terms. I loved the flashback to her and Joon's first actual meeting and the reveal of him being dodosolsollalasol. I was uneasy when he didn't say anything about the leukemia, but I sort of get it. It was a tough blow and patients sometimes want loved ones to see them at their best.

I'm fine with being jerked around with gotchas, but this was too much. I hated that Joon was killed off, but I could take it. I just can't process the idea that Joon was alive for 5 years and had lied to all his friends about it, including Man-bok who died thinking Joon was dead. The Eunpo crew is perfectly poised to be Joon's support. They could have even used the leukemia storyline to promote getting registered in the bone marrow registry!

When he showed up, it reminded me of this scene of Lee Jae Wook's drama-within-a-drama (What's Wrong with My Mother in Law in Search: WWW)- his mean character gets killed off; at funeral, his twin shows up https://youtu.be/jc-arFBASL0?t=71

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😆I would have much prefer that in this bizzaro DDSSLLS universe that it was Jun's evil twin who has found Ra-ra five years later. Instead we found out that Jun's inner evil twin had always existed underneath that crack-a-secret-smile facade and surfaced in the last few minutes. We the viewers are all kimchi slapped in the face by the writer.

In Rara's abuji's word, BRAVO, Writer Oh Jiyoung-nim!!!

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Since we're talking about leukemia, let's mix in a little bit from the WTF c-drama Well-intended Love. The evil twin falsified the leukemia results, so Joon, his parents, and everyone thinks he has leukemia. He faked Joon's death to his parents and has Joon locked up. Then he goes to Ra-ra 5 years later and make up fake leukemia results for her too. Then it is revealed that he has liked her since a week before Joon first met her at the cafe and he has been planning this for years.

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👏👏👏
*hands you a big fat money envelope across the table to show my gratitude for the real version of the story

Let me try! Every little delicious details you have described but how about the Jun that showed up 5 years later wasn't Jun's evil twin, but indeed his BFF from high school who didn't actually die from the ToD hit (we were never really shown the hit on screen!) Jun's friend got insidiously jealous when he saw how Jun was so taken with Rara when he asked him to take their photo after her recital. He wanted Ra-ra, he also wanted Jun. He locked up Jun abroad and came back to Korean to claim Ra-ra.

This was the true love triangle that was never fully explored and needed to be realized.

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LOL!!! His friend was pretty cute and cheerful...I can ship him and Ra-ra =X.

So his friend got plastic surgery to look like Joon? Now he can have Ra-ra and see his beloved Joon whenever he looks in the mirror?

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🤣🤣🤣 Yes, his friend got a face transplant to look like Jun.....what better way to show the depth of one's devotion in this dark and twisted tale of love and obsession?

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You guys are the best! reading your proposals of ‘what really happened’ now makes me glad I finished all 16 episodes (which is something I was 100% sure I would never say).

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I thought exactly the same thing while watching this scene 🤣 The whole time I was asking myself "What's wrong with Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol Writers" - 😔🙄

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Besides the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad ending, I'm also annoyed that nothing ever came of Chu Min-su and the spoons.

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omg the spoons! It was weird how he didn't show up in the 5-years later. He was just on a business trip and he and Suk-kyung still wasn't an official couple after all that time. I wonder if this was related to production being delayed by COVID and the actor had other commitments.

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It's very possible the actor had other commitments, but the dialogue could have at least confirmed a romantic relationship between the two. Everybody else had someone.

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Totally weird, where was he?
But then I thought that a good detective WOULD HAVE KNOWN JUN WASN’T DEAD so they just let that thread float off into nothing so we wouldn’t ask questions.

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THE SPOONS HAHAHAHA

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They showed us Rara twice in wedding dress. Couple Rings, Jun catching the flowers of the bride at the first episode - Why show you didn't give us at least a real wedding for Ra Ra and Jun after everything they went trough ?

Seriously was the writer of the first part of the drama replaced by someone jealous/salty of the chemistry and romance story of Lee Jae Wook and Go Ara ? They really messed up and play it dirty for every single actors and production team of this drama (Mimi included).
The could have avoid the leukemia trope, it was angsty and heatbreaking as hell. They could have really avoided the return of Jun "ex" girlfriend, an other trope wich was annoying as hell and deprived us from more moment between the leads. The trope of the chaebol on runaway hiding his real age was enough ! It would have been way better if they revealed that he was Dodosolsolalalasol at the end, jun would have continued to support RaRa secretly while doing his studies and maintain contact with her with his two identities. It was also supposed to be a drama about music, why didn't they show us more about how Ra Ra became a great teacher and gained more and more students ?

Making someone believes that you are dead during 5 years is really emotional abuse. Jun always put Ra Ra safety and happiness first, the Jun they introduced us would have take every single actions to stay with Ra Ra and not making her cry. He isn't someone who lack emotional intelligence but the last episode made him a someone who took Ra Ra for granted. I am really annoyed for Lee Jae Wook and Go Ara. So unfair for Arabeoji who didn't even know that Jun survived.

I am so mad ! It was supposed to be an healing drama and a Rom-com. Like most of the viewers I'll keep their moment in the beach as their last moment. I already started to imagine an alternative ending.

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I think the writer was confused how to write the ending in a perfect way. She may be realized that the parents of an underage boy can't accept his relationship with a girl that is 6 years older than him. By using the trope, Joon has cancer, his parents will only focus on his health and wellbeing. They will not stop his and Ra-Ra's relationship. In this way, the couple will get a HE . I had great hopes that without using this cancer and dying drama, the writer may show us that joon parents realistically accept his and Ra-Ra 's relation. That may be a proper logical ending.

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WHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYY I can't bring myself to watch the final,I'm so angry and betrayed.
It would have been better if jun had been killed off, at least we could have some lessons about choose your heart bs... Anything would have been better than this. Or maybe jun could have been the one who died in the accident, maybe he was an angel for Ra-ra to get back on her feet.

I really enjoyed the eunpo family and the adorable vignettes about man-ok and sun-hye's romance. Maybe I should just make a cut of those scenes. The music and Ra-ra's infectious happiness is what I looked forward to each week.
Thank you for recapping this show and the finale episode!
I loved the cast and I am excited to see what projects they choose next. At least we have the music to look back on?

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Rethought this story, and why the writer never changed the title. Do do sol sol la la sol was Jun’s story and his journey to secure his Twinkling Star. LJW’s final voiceover was the key. He had always deeply loved RaRa, but never felt she would ever understand or be comfortable with the depth of that love. He chose to endure his hardships with the goal of embracing the fruits of his labor, to paraphrase RaRa and Mrs. Gong. This phrase was repeated several times. And he repeated that RaRa was often right. His inappropriate joy was the relief of finally reaching his goal to be with RaRa fully and to finally say “I love you”. I feel the writers misstep was to give back the cup, because that implied Jun did lose hope for the end they showed.

RaRa is an extroverted personality, who naturally cared about others, and but seems like a butterfly emotionally. All the OST Lyrics point to his uncertainty and longing. He is a loner and introvert, who only gives his love to a very few, and keeps his emotions locked down. Again, the voiceover was the relief of finally admitting RaRa was his Twinkling Star, and he loved her.

RaRa broke up with him when it was only an age thing, and he did whatever it took to get back to her.

He only gave up when he was diagnosed with AML. This is where the age chosen was important. Survival rate for people 20 and above is 25%. For those younger, survival rate is 67%. He had to be this young for hope of survival for the happy ending. Unfortunately, that was not made clear ever.

He made the decision to leave RaRa, because she had her support system in Eunpo and he felt that she would be able to move on. He only ran back when she texted him(which by the way, was wrong, since she ran to his house when she didn’t have his new number to text earlier in episode) that she liked him, and still wanted him. Until then, he had never heard that positive affirmation of her feelings. He always kept to her pace and backed off when he got too close. I loved the Cafe scene, when explanations were finally made and we see how long she’s been in his radar.

The hospital separation was OK for short term, but once it was apparent that treatment would be longer, I wish the writer would have chosen a different path. I think he was in Korea, wearing those purple plaid jammies that Seung-Gi wore while covering for him, so that airport scene was unnecessary as well.

But this is from K-Drama Jun’s prospective, so a 5 year absence is nothing for a desperately endured end game, right? Cancer recovery is usually measured in 5 year survival increments.

Go Ara’s portrayal was wonderful, though I thought the puckered lips were excessive at the beginning. However, everybody was ranting, as I was, about how she was cheated of her choices. I feel K-Drama logic, once applied for Jun’s POV made a little sense. He was only 19, and was selfish. Duh! Definition of 19 year old male. But, even when he brought out rings, she still hesitated. He offered...

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I like your point of view. It all makes sense. Also true Rara having all the support system from Eunpo.
With all the negative remarks on this drama, i still love this show and will always have a place in my kdrama heart. Its still a happy ending no matter how we read between the lines. They are still together and Im happy with that. 🙂

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I believed that rather than texting him she had sent a message to him as DDSSLLS on his social media account.

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She sent 2 messages. I thought one was a text to Jun. And it makes sense that the second, which made him run back to her, was to DDSSLLS, where she finally let him know she liked him and still wanted him.

For 15 episodes, we were led to believe that DDSSLLS was about RaRa’s memories, song and her dad. In a way, it was from her POV. The name Jun chose happened to trigger her healing and growth. The reveal showed me on how many levels Jun reached and to love and support RaRa.

Thanks for even reading my rant. First time ever to join the conversation, and wrote too much. I still love RaRa and Jun and have continued to rewatch. I’m sad that they were not given the time to grow together that was
given to SG and HY. How cute would that have been to see both couples mature, support each other and deepen their friendship on the show during those lost 5 years?

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The writer should be taken out and shot at sunrise (not really, but). Perhaps the writer got seriously ill before the last episode was written and let his 6th grade daughter write the ending. She was just watching "When I Was Most Beautiful" and took the same crap storyline from there and slapped it into episode 16. Writer needs to give us all a DEEP HEARTFELT APOLOGY and then a REDO OF EPISODE 16 with some sanity. (Can you tell I'm really mad!)

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Whatever this drama was that ending ... I hate it. haha.

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Usually I am sorry when Beanies can’t hold drama comments for the recaps but feel compelled to spill on the fan wall. And when I read the first reactions to 15-16, I totally thought everyone must be way overreacting. So I watched it myself. I was compelled to explode all over the fan wall and would like to thank everyone who was there with me! It was fun to rant with you all ❤️❤️❤️

Applause to @missvictrix for all the great recaps and for keeping her head on to write this last one (instead of just posting a picture of a bomb, for instance). 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

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Posting the video of John Oliver blew up the year 2020 for his season finale would be appropriate too 😄

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thanks for the tip to stop watching before the end. i will leave Lala and Joon in happy land in my heart forever

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I cant remember the last time I wrote a comment here but the outrage at the ending has made me leave one!
Everything about the storylines at the end were ridiculous and beyond belief. A sweet drama ruined by the last 2-3 episodes.

My theory is that the reason he turns up all fine and dandy at the end is not that he is alive but that he is there to comfort Gu Rara who after 5 years of trying to move on with life has had a mental break and/or died. The Sunwoo Jun that she meets may seem real to her (and indeed she is able to touch him) but this is because she is now also a spirit or has completely lost the plot. Pun intended!

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Welcome back @ingoblue. I like your theory. That makes more sense than what Writer-nim gave us.
O/T. I just happen to be watching FLOWER BOY NEXT STORE.
Having a Yoon Shi-Yoon fix right now has lifted my spirits after the DO DO debacle.

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I loved Flower Boy Next Door! I am currently getting my Yoon Si Yoon fix by re-watching Psychopath diary.

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I enjoyed YSY’s performance in PD but the hair!
I really enjoyed his performance this year in TRAIN and I am still baffled by its poor ratings.
My first YSY drama was GRAND PRINCE so I missed the early lighter, wacky if you will YSY.
At some point I may watch his BREAD, LOVE AND DREAMS (2010) and available on Viki (USA). BREAD’s episode 30 had a nationwide rating of 50.8%. He has been around long enough to remember when dramas had those huge ratings.
I hope you continue to post.

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SNAP to the double death theory! (Hadn't refreshed to see your comment when I posted something similar in response to comment 12).

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“ My theory is that the reason he turns up all fine and dandy at the end is not that he is alive but that he is there to comfort Gu Rara who after 5 years of trying to move on with life has had a mental break and/or died. ”

When he appeared, my reaction was - oh she died, I guess I can accept that ending. Then the rest of the ending showed up. Sigh.

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Having RaRa experience the memory of Jun returning to her--he was not real--was the only way I could stomach the ending.

I'm wondering what happened behind the scenes--what politics allowed this ending to happen. Unfortunately, the writer had the power to make the viewers hate the stars, thus affecting their future careers.

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