22

Love All Play: Episodes 3-4

A new partnership is in the air, and with it comes all sorts of cuteness, closeness, and, of course, conflict. Although our two athletes know a lot about each other already, there’s much they don’t know, and it’s that balance of trust and teamwork that they have to find. But in the meantime, I’ll just enjoy all the dancing around each other during that process.

Editor’s note: Drama coverage will continue with weecaps.
 
EPISODES 3-4 WEECAP

The partnership is made official, and our two athletes — whether they realize it or not — have embarked on quite a journey together, and it’s only just started. Tae-joon and Tae-yang might already have a past connection (and an emotional connection squeeeeee), but there’s a lot more they need to learn about each other if they’re going to be successful teammates.

But the duo — now known by basically everyone as “the Park twins” — don’t have more than a hot second to revel in their newfound partnership. Jung-hwan is as angry as ever against Tae-yang and immediately challenges her to a game. But lucky for Tae-yang, she already has someone on her side. Tae-joon steps in between her and Jung-hwan — literally and figuratively — and I can’t even pretend that his protectiveness of her isn’t already making me squee.

Tae-yang puts in her best effort in the “friendly” doubles match, but she’s humiliated non-stop and is so far from where she once was at the top of her game. Still, Tae-joon has her back, and I already love this partnership more than I should.

Much to my pleasure, our episodes this week focus mostly on building the relationship between Tae-yang and Tae-joon, and they settle into the cutest pair-dom that’s got the spirit of athletes that need to support each other, and a giant side helping of flirting and attraction that they (somewhat) try to push aside.

But can you really, when you have Tae-joon always flashing that grin at you? Or breaking in your sneakers for you? Or standing up for you? Or pep-talking you? Seriously, could they make him any more delightful? (Spoiler: no)

While Tae-joon adjusts to being on a co-ed team and finds it weird that the guys take off their shirts post-practice while their female teammates compare their muscles, he also doesn’t lose the chance to show off to Tae-yang — because of course he’s the fittest guy on the team.

Here our drama proves it is willing to give us what we want, real-life physics be damned, because while Tae-yang is peeking into the court to see Tae-joon shirtless, she blinks and he’s literally standing right in front of her a second later. He pretends like it’s nbd while she stands there, pokes his six-pack, and then quips that he should stop flexing.

Tae-yang wants to practice with him later, and he says he’s busy… but in the end the two wind up together anyway, because his friends figure out his crush on her, and call her to take him home. It’s during this exchange that we get such sweet things as Tae-joon calling her “uri Tae-yang” (quite intimate language), Tae-joon giving her a shopping bag full of ointments for her blisters, and the confession that he pretended to be busy that night because she needed the rest.

Lest we think that the crush is only one-way, we quickly get evidence that it’s not. The two are out after curfew, so they wind up sleeping on mats in the gym, set up with about 10 feet in between them. In an early morning dream, Tae-yang rolls alllllll the way into Tae-joon’s arms and lol — it’s proof #2 that this drama cares more about delivering cuteness than mere technicalities. Tae-joon enjoys her proximity for a short moment, giving her an arm pillow.

He thinks Tae-yang’s mouth is moving because she’s dreaming of eating; we see her dream, and that what’s happening is quite different. In an extension of their conversation last night, she imagines Tae-joon leaning in to kiss her.

But it’s not all cuteness — the drama balances it with inner tension, outer conflict, and also sheds light on the past events that continue to haunt Tae-yang. Here we meet Tae-yang and her dear friend and fellow national athlete PARK JOON-YOUNG (Park Ji-hyun), who’s also dating Jung-hwan.

In flashback we see the two girls blowing off steam by having beers and snowboarding together late at night. This is clearly inadvisable behavior for young national athletes, and it leads to an accident when Tae-yang smashes into Joon-young and injures her.

Interestingly, we see the two with Jung-hwan after the accident, and the girls seem to be on fine terms still — no blame, no shame – so we don’t quite know what went wrong yet. But we do know that in the present, Jung-hwan blames Tae-yang for losing his girlfriend, and her career.

And for a final wrinkle, it looks like Tae-joon also knows Joon-young. He secretly messages her via SNS to try to get in contact with her… because she’s his sister. Wait, what!? Joon-young is his famous athlete sister!? Not sure how this is all unknown, but it’s sure to have some ramifications later on. In the meantime, Tae-joon threatens to kill her if she keeps ignoring his messages. Seems like she’s been AWOL for quite some time.

Tae-yang continues to be ostracized by the team for her past, and she’s elected to go to the tournament in Wando that none of the other players can be bothered with. Even Tae-joon shrugs her off… but then shows up at the last minute, because of course he does.

This Wando sequence is wonderful, because we see the Park twins taking all their chemistry onto the court and boom it really does create some magic. Tae-joon knows Tae-yang isn’t fully there yet, so he tells her she can lean on him. In fact, the pair share so many great little conversations that it’s impossible to pull out all of them. Needless to say, their bond becomes apparent once they start playing, and a throwaway game turns into a shining moment for our twins.

Every time the Yunis coaches say they’re going to leave Wando and head back home, the Park twins win another round, and pretty soon they’re in the final match: Yunis’ Park twins versus the Somang Bank team, led by LEE YOO-MIN (Seo Ji-hye). Yoo-min is Coach Lee’s daughter, has an ill-fated crush on Jung-hwan (good luck, woman), and is clearly painted as Tae-yang’s rival.

Despite the fact that the Park twins’ winning streak meets a sorry end, they do wind up with a bronze medal from the tournament — but more important than that, they’ve had time to see their teamwork on the court, and so have the coaches.

We’ve seen how they worked together to cover for each other’s weaknesses, take advantage of their strengths, and even show tenacity when injured (ahem, Tae-yang). The partnership also lights a fire under Tae-joon, who’s putting passion into his playing (instead of just athleticism) for the first time ever.

Despite all the good stuff that came out of the tournament, Tae-yang is heartbroken, since the loss is basically her fault. To his credit, Tae-joon doesn’t seem to hold it against her, and is more overwhelmed by walking in on her in a sports bra than not winning gold.

Tae-yang isolates herself for a bit, but soon the two are spending time together again (thanks to Tae-joon lying about not having an umbrella which “makes her” have to stay over). Though they have their moments of contention, they have a very healthy relationship, and I can’t wait to see more of it.

But there’s a possible Park twins breakup on the horizon: thanks to Jung-hwan’s “influence,” the Somang coach puts in an offer to take Tae-yang off Yunis’ hands. Less than an awesome scouting deal, it feels more like Jung-hwan is up to no good. And before Tae-yang can even react, it’s Tae-joon that jumps up and gets in his face about it.

He sends a shuttlecock right at Jung-hwan’s head (lol, so satisfying), and then tells him to meet him outside. Tae-yang just stands there in shock as they walk past her. And so we end upon another squee, which this drama freely delivers, and I happily receive.

 
RELATED POSTS

Tags: , , , , ,

22

Required fields are marked *

*inserts sheepishly smiling meme* because that's literally how I was when I watched these episodes.

I love the fact that we have most of the back story already despite being just 4 episodes in.

Can Tae-yang and Tae-joon get any cuter? Their chemistry is insane, they are not holding back on the flirting and I'm not complaining 🤭.

Junghwan may *very very * deep down have a good heart but I want to smack him most of the time too like Tae-joon.

I find it strange that Jun-young has kept her injury hidden from her family for so long. 3 years is a lot of time... Or may be Tae-joon is the only one in the dark since they might not have been very close.

9
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Man these two are the cutest. So many flirty and adorable scenes - be it the walk home or the apartment hangout. 'Squee' is a very accurate description of my reaction to them.

The coaching staff and their different approaches are also interesting. But the other characters either bore me or annoy me. Young-shim taking out her anger from her family woes on her teammates should not be played for laughs. Nor does Jung-hwan's history justify the bullying.

4
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I'm not yet through ep. 4 but I wanted to chime in because I love this show! There's something refreshing about its overall tone and the relationship between the leads. Maybe it's simply that they're acting like people in their mid-20s act when they like someone. They're flirting, and mutually attracted, but there are clear limits to how far they feel they can go at this point. First, they're teammates who aren't allowed to date (and even though others flaunt this rule, it's still a rule and has to be considered); more than that, they're partners. Having an intimate, romantic relationship with your athletic partner is understandable, but carries so much risk with it as well. I like that these are the straightforward, understandable, and realistic struggles they face going forward.

And finally, although I also find it hard to believe that everyone wouldn't know Tae-joon is Joon-young's brother, and that connection wouldn't already be a factor in the relationships, it's another interesting obstacle for the couple to overcome.

The second (burgeoning) couple is also very cute, although I'm not sure I understand yet what the coach's daughter is pursuing with Jung-hwan. Does she simply want to be near him because she has a crush on him or is there something more? I feel like I might've missed something there.

4
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I like how Tae-yang and Tae-joon feel comfortable in each other's presence and touch each other without the other immediately flinching. I especially noticed this when Tae-joon put his arm around Tae-yang.

7
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Yesssss I loved that moment

3
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Me too. It was so cute

1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Gosh the leads are sooo cute....
I love their ambiguous relationship: badminton teammate ? best buddy ? each other crush? flirting partner ? When they say they are each other friends to other, both of them not seems like awkward, or hurt, like in other dramas in which there's a hint romance between the leads.
This drama gives Weightlifting fairy kim bok joo vibes plus flirting ha ha ha. I think the focus of drama is the romance, badminton only gives reason so they can make the leads playing partners. NOT that I am complaining. This should give idea to other sports that have a female - male double team as background in romance dramas LOL Ice skater?
I have been eyeing Chae Jong-hyeop since a witch dinner (shipping him with Nam Ji-hyun). I hope he has career trajectory like Nam Joo-hyuk ha ha
Park Joo-hyun , I know she has potential since Extracellular. She is good at being bubbly and has good comedic timing.
It will be a fun ride

6
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Now that we know Joon-young is Tae-joon's sister, my worst fear is that they start dating and Tae-yang breaks up with him out of guilt. Please let her find out before they get together, so he can assure her that it was an accident. She doesn't want to cross the line or become too comfortable with him because she's afraid that she will ruin him too like Joon-young.

Aww, Tae-joon went to the tournament after all. When Tae-yang cried into his chest, I wished she would confide in him, so it was frustrating that he cut her off as she was telling him about unni. At least she doesn't need to put on a happy face in front of him unlike with her dad.

I love our twins' camaraderie and how they build each other up. "Try appreciating your talent half as much as you appreciate mine." "Trust me as I trust you." When Tae-yang injured her ankle, I fully expected Tae-joon to forfeit like before, but our boy just stepped up and played for two people.

When Tae-yang unrealistically rolled all the way over to Tae-joon, it was so heart-fluttering how he fixed her hair before lifting her head onto his arm. I wondered if the kiss could've been a flashback but he didn't remember since he was drunk, except sadly, he wasn't.

Thanks a bunch for continued weecaps, @missvictrix!

4
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I'm loving the episodes so much. Being a sucker for romance Love All Play gives me all the feels I needed. While romance is pretty obvious I'm fairly sure that it's not just where the story goes for our Park Twins. They're each other's comfort and support and we see here how the two see each other's struggles even not knowing the painful experiences both have in the past. For Taejoon, who loves the sport but also who wants to be seen and appreciated by his parents. He wants to make them proud, and when he sees that he can't really compare to the success his sister has he just immediately puts the towel down and just took badminton as a job. For Taeyang who appears to be such a lonely creature who always has to work hard for everything, she appears to crave stability from the people around her. Being adopted by the coach she has to make sure that she did what she can to earn her place in his family, and was too scared that her failure would mean they will love her less. Taejoon doesn't have someone who actually cheers him on and has that confidence in what he can do as an athlete, while Taeyang doesn't have anyone who actually cares about her unconditionally whether she does good or bad in badminton. The two were each other's strength, and they complement each other in such a natural way that I always squeal in delight whenever they're together.

For Yu-min and Jung-hwan while I love their bickering I feel like I can't root for them unless Jung-hwan actually gets over Jun-young. Yumin can be annoying at times, but I love her for being so proud of her dad. She's also selfless giving Jung-hwan the time to shine when they played together. I'd hate for her to pine over a guy who's obviously not over his ex. At the same time, I want Jung-hwan to actually stop acting like a jerk before he ventures into a possible romance. I hope he can try to move past all that hurt, and be the happiest since he's obviously not in a great place and in the best shape in his career.

Looking forward to the next episodes, and how the tension between the two guys will affect our Park Twins.

6
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Tae-joon is so lovely. Love all his smiles. Back hugs. Chae Jong-Hyeop is great with his goofy grin or when he's trying not to be hurt. Am really curious to know though if he knew Tae-yang was talking about his sister or not.

Loved Tae-yang telling Jung-hwan get to the point. Wonder if she was having a small mental block with regards to winning until the tournament.

Didn't quite like how things resolved around Coach Sang-hyun. He was really immature to immediately start prodding Tae-joon and pushing Trainer Shin-bong should have had some resolution.

And I thought I'd like Yoo-min but these two episodes made me change my mind. Was worrying about her rackets for a moment there.

6
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

What a cute couple...all the flirting and touchy feeling is so good to see in a young couple. Someone said that it reminded them of Weightloftung fairy and I think its true. With just a tad bit maturity. Actually I'm not in a hurry for them to be together. This 'some' is really nice. Liked fhe second couple until they showed that Jung hwan is still hung upon his ex girlfriend. Became kind of bleh after that.

6
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Insanely in love with the Park twins - there isn't a second that I'm not smiling like an idiot when they're on screen together, that back hug in particular took me out omg

5
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I love the OST for this drama, it is so uplifting. I also really adore the Park twins, they have such great chemistry. This drama is such a refreshing little gem. WE already know they have crushes on each other. It is just sweet.

4
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

This drama is refreshing : youth and romance!

Tae-Yang reminds so much Danoh in Extraordinary You by taking a look at half nacked boys, hitting Tae-Joon's shoulder when she's shy. The same energy :p

I was sure after the first 2 episodes that Tae-Joon was connected to Park Joon-Young. Both are Park, he grew up in the shadow of his sister who was a great athlete.

I'm curious what happenned after the accident too. They said she still could play, but I guess it changed.

Junghwan is an interesting character. He's such a jerk with Taeyang but in the same time is very observant and can be very nice. I hope he will be able to forget Park Joon-Young and maybe date the coach's daughter.

The team of coaches are fun. They really care about their athletes. It's nice to see.

But the best part is Tae-Yang and Tae-Joon! They're so good together. Tae-Joon played almost alone against 2 players to try to win for her!

4
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I really want to know what happened in the past. It looks Jung Hwan isn't really hung up on his ex but more like he needs closure and the ex has cut off contact. I could not contain my excitement in these episodes. I love the way these two flirt but also the way they support and communicate with each other. I really like Yumin. The girl went after what she wanted and even though she got brutally turned down, she didn't take Jung Hwan's rudeness lying down, although she didn't confront him. And can we talk about the way Tae Jjn put his arm around Tae Yang. It was so sweet. And the way he played alone against those two players made me like him even more. What I like about Tae Jin is that he is protective of Tae Yang but he is also the type to not override her. Also him not having utensils but a huge sneaker collection made me chuckle.

2
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I don't know what else to say, except - I AM LOVING THIS DRAMA! I just find myself smiling while I'm watching this. Hoping it continues this way :)

2
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Is there a weecap for eps 1/2? I can’t seem to find it..

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks!! I was searching all over DB for it 😂

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I’m just getting to watching episode 3. Life has been hectic. And what boy wouldn’t have kissed a girl that basically confessed on that track? I know it’s too early, but the camera was centered perfectly! I’m loving this show. It’s adorable.

1
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

As someone said, this drama is simply adorable! I love a good drama sport and the twins are simply perfect together! <3 I don't think she will decide to move to another team in the end, but the situation really worried me just the same. Looking forward to the next episode. Plus I adore the onpening song :D

2
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I just love it that most of the comments consist things like "I'm smiling from watching them... They have the best chemistry..." etc, because it's just so me.

I've been waiting for a decent project for Chae Jong-hyeop after the lackluster "Nevertheless", and so far, this drama delivers BIG TIME. Tae-joon is so supportive and is a giant walking green flag, while Tae-yang is just too cute in her awkwardness whenever Tae-joon goes all flirty with her.

Totally rooting for them the moment Tae-joon approaches Tae-yang to dump his record-setting racket with her.

3
0
reply

Required fields are marked *