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Soundtrack #1: Episode 4 (Final)

As the adage says, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and our lyricist is becoming increasingly, painfully aware of what her feelings of fondness really mean. But will she be able to muster the courage to act on those feelings before it’s too late?

 
EPISODE 4 WEECAP

As the seasons pass, Eun-soo is keenly aware of Sun-woo’s absence, thinking about him constantly and sighing over the fact that his replies to her messages are few and far between.

But glum as she may be feeling about missing him, she has a lot of exciting career things happening, including an offer to write for a particular singer that she’s dreamed of working with for years. It’s a huge milestone, and one that she and Sun-woo once half-joked about the way people do when describing a shoot-for-the-stars kind of goal. Her friends celebrate with her, but Sun-woo doesn’t respond to her message telling him the news.

Meanwhile, the composer she’s been working with asks her out again, and Eun-soo finally tells him the truth: she’s not interested, and she’s been lying all this time about liking the wine he always orders for them.

Much as I found this subplot uncomfortable, I liked this conversation, especially Eun-soo’s confession that she thought if she kept drinking the wine, she’d eventually come to like it, but it never tasted any better. It applies to a lot more than food and drink preferences, and it shows that Eun-soo is learning to communicate honestly instead of trying to say what she thinks other people want to hear.

And thankfully, the composer is cool about it. He accepts her rejection, and has no intention of letting it taint their professional relationship, either. He even stops himself before ordering beer to replace the wine and first asks if that’s okay with her.

Of course, the biggest truth Eun-soo has to learn to communicate is her feelings for Sun-woo, which she’s now painfully aware of. After a tarot reading from her mom tells her to follow her heart and seize the opportunity that is coming to her, she finally works up just enough courage to text him that she has something important to say and wants him to call her.

Again, that message goes unanswered… because Sun-woo’s back and wanted to surprise her. They meet by chance outside a flower shop, and when he steps outside holding a giant bouquet, there’s a breathless moment where it almost seems like this is just another flashback. But no, it’s really him, home for a couple of weeks in between photoshoots.

Turns out, the bouquet isn’t for her, though. Instead, it’s a birthday gift for their friend at the restaurant, whose husband has enlisted Sun-woo’s help preparing a surprise serenade. It’s a cute moment, but it reminds me that this show was advertised as music-centric, and we could have had moments like this throughout these four episodes instead of just here at (almost) the end.

In some ways, this episode felt like a mirror of the first: instead of focusing on Sun-woo’s pining, we’re limited to Eun-soo’s perspective as she wavers in uncertainty. She wants to confess, but even though Sun-woo is back, he feels more distant than before.

To hammer this distance home, a female photography assistant is brought in to give Eun-soo a dose of jealousy. The assistant has an obvious crush on Sun-woo, and has apparently been asking him to date her for some time. Sun-woo isn’t interested, and tells her as much, fully aware that Eun-soo has overheard the whole conversation.

As he walks her home, Eun-soo timidly asks what if – hypothetically, that is – she were to ask the same thing his assistant did? What if the two of them tried dating, just to see what might happen? Sun-woo, perhaps thinking she’s not serious, says matter-of-factly that they can’t if they want to remain friends, just like she’s said all along. It’s exactly the opportune moment her mother’s cards foretold, but Eun-soo lets it pass.

She regrets it immediately, and as Sun-woo’s next departure date looms near, Eun-soo decides to grab her last chance. She borrows their friends’ restaurant for the evening and presents Sun-woo with her unfinished lyrics, explaining that she couldn’t finish them because he was gone.

In another sweet moment of honesty, Eun-soo opens up about how much she’s been suffering since he left, adding that what hurts the most is realizing he’s been suffering like this for the past eight years. If Sun-woo is surprised that she already knows, he doesn’t show it. He completes the lyrics in her notebook with a line confessing his love, and they seal their confessions with a kiss.

Overall, as I look back on it, there wasn’t really anything surprising, new, or particularly special about Soundtrack #1. It probably would have been better off condensed into movie form, or at least released all at once for marathon viewing.

And yet, despite all that, I still found it a sweet, enjoyably easy watch for the most part. Every shot was gorgeous to look at, and some moments genuinely took my breath away. And there was a kind of comfort in its predictability that made it even easier to just settle into the cozy atmosphere and relax for a while.

 
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Wow

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It wasn't what I was expecting from this drama.

It was boring, nothing new, the characters weren't so likable (petty jealousy is a very awful character trait), the music was forgetable.

One year jump of time in 4 episodes drama was so disapointing...

I'm sad that PHS chose this role because after Happiness, it was kinda weird to watch him playing the same one way lover.

Han So-Hee wasn't bad but she didn't bring anything special to her character neither...

The direction was pretty at least.

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I loved HSH in Nevertheless. But upon watching the first 10 minutes or so of its first ep, I felt it was a boring show. Not sure if I can say I am glad I decided to drop it as my initial feeling suggested.

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More comment below!

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I totally agree with you. I HATE petty jealousy! And we had to see this side of both characters.
This drama really did nothing for me. It was pretty... and at times even too much. Who the hell sits on the table barefoot to write?

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Nice and comfy but predictable. I'm glad I binged it or I might not have been motivated enough to finish it. I haven't seen Han So-hee in a lead role before and I thought she was pretty bland. But I did like her confession scene.

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I'd give this great cinematography ✅. I get carried away with the setting since it has this dreamy effect to it. I definitely enjoyed watching this, mainly because it's short, although the unsaid could have been said so that their time apart wouldn't feel like loss but like longing.

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It was fine. It could have been done over two days if they really needed to stretch it out. Absolutely nothing to write home about.

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Pleasant, harmless, boring. Why was it called Soundtrack? Totally forgettable music. After Couple, Nevertheless and Name I was expecting a lot more.

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The weird thing is the way they acted awkward around each other when they are living together making them like they just become friend recently than from 19 years ago. The character are 2 dimensional. The dialog is superficial. Han So-hee acting bubbly doesnt suit her like she pretends something she is not. ha ha maybe her type of beauty that doesnt match this kind of character?
I think Disney should released it later because PSH just came out from the drama which although has different genre but almost the same set up (friend-to-lover, cohabitation). PSH and HYJ are more natural, have more chemistry. I still can't get out from their ship then come this drama 🙃. PHS 🔫
Disney seems like a group people who produce K drama without actually watch it, furthermore love it. All their steps are miss fire.... tsk tsk tsk

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Agree that the timing was weird, as both of PHS's dramas have a similar premise (and his characters looked similar as well). I loved Happiness and thought the chemistry was good and the characters well-acted. I zero percent ship the actors in real life (have seen them both in many things and this is normal friendly costar behavior for them), so it's not like I can't bear to watch them acting with someone else. But the scenarios (minus zombies) are just a bit too different, the timing also a bit too close. It inevitably sets up comparisons that it could do without, especially when viewers have invested 3x as much time watching the first one and had time to get attached to the characters.

I agree too that Disney seems to be run by people who see Kdramas as a cash cow but maybe don't actually watch/understand them?

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It was good for passing time and adding another tally to my end-of-the-year watched shows list. Nothing memorable to write home about. For a show literally titled soundtrack, the music sure was bland and forgettable. A choice made more glaring by the fact that both Han So-hee and Park Hyung-shik have been in dramas with excellent soundtracks before.

This should’ve been a one-episode special or a movie. Not a great track record for Disney+ kdramas so far.

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I'm glad that I can now binge the series in a mini-marathon. I know that Soundtrack doesn't bring much of anything new story-wise, but I'm a sucker for Park Hyung Sik 😅 Thank you so much for the recaps!

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I like it as a comfortable watch. Everything and everyone is pretty.
I just don’t understand the format. What is Disney trying to gain?

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Tbh, I am glad Disney took an initiative to try something new, but as far as I'm concerned, I don't think it's got the gist of making great Kdramas. I dropped both Snowdrop and Soundtrack within the first ep.

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Snowdrop wasn't a Disney+ drama, they just were the plaform to release it internationally. But it was a JTBC drama.

Rookie Cop, Sountrack#1 or Grid are Disney+ productions. Rookie Cop wasn't good neither.

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I watched the 1st ep, and straightly thought about Sae Bom. Didn't watch ep 2 & 3.
Just finished reading the recap for the 4th ep. And, that's it.

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Disney and Netflix will ruin kdramaworld. It is so sad to have to take refuge in cdrama if we love morality, respect and conservative values.

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I waited to binge this show. It was pretty, but nothing special. Am I the only one disappointed with her lyrics? Like they weren’t anything great. There were some chemistry between them but it disappeared with the time jump. Sorry but PHS’s eyes does but look at anyone like he does PBY in SWDB.

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Wow, tough crowd. The story wasn’t anything revolutionary but this was such a comforting show to watch, I would actually recommend it to anyone looking for something soft and pretty with some cute, a dash of angst, and a bit of romance. Solid B+, but from the comments here, sounds like people are rating it an F? Oh, and I actually really liked the music! It wasn’t used well in every ep (ep 2 was kind of a mess), but in this ep especially it was well-utilized, IMO.

I understand where the criticisms are coming from, though. After Happiness, which for me (and many), was a wow project for PHS, this seemed tame and somewhat familiar but less impressive. But it was still well-acted! And I understand why he chose it. Sunwoo is a lovely character, but PHS has so often chosen women-centric stories rather than projects based on his own role, and Eunsoo’s arc by ep 4 was pretty interesting and well done. And anyway, PHS said in a Japanese interview that Soundtrack #1 was his gift to fans. After SWFBS, he basically turned down romcoms for fear of being typecast, and also it wasn’t what he wanted to do (he’s consistently said he wants to do thriller, noir, or action in interviews), but he knew that’s what his fans like. So he squeezed in a short and sweet mini drama in between his two bigger, more intense projects (Happiness and his Sageuk that won’t come out til late 2022), plus he gets to work with THE it girl of the moment (HSH) and the director of Vincenzo. Same for HSH, squeezing this between more intense projects, and it sounds like the actors had a good time and had a nice, relaxed shoot. And the relaxed feel did come through, I really found this a relaxing watch.

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I love this such a well balanced comment♥️ I watch Kdramas for lots of different reasons so can enjoy the low key gentle dramas like this one as well as the big players.

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I get that this might be a genre and story that not everyone can relate to and enjoy, but how come some many are criticizing the soundtrack element.
Everyone talks about how much they expected great soundtracks to come, but no songs were memorable.
For me, isn't the whole point of a soundtrack to complement a movie/drama/scene, etc rather than to overshadow it? That's why it is a soundtrack and not a regular song. It kind of helps to set the mood, emotions, story, and such. So, in that way, this drama did well for me. The songs might not be memorable on their own, but they complemented the scenes and narrative (with lyrics) quite well.
Overall, I enjoyed this short drama a lot. Han So Hee is finally redeemed in my eyes after her Nevertheless character Nabi, which I disliked quite a lot, actually, so much I could not empathize with her as a character or the actress at all.
Park Hyung Shik is always a delight, he can emote a thousand words with just his face and eyes alone. xD
Very mellow, cute, and sweet. Definitely, I will come back to this someday, when I need something warm and calm :)

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A year later and I finished this show Andy thoughts are quite like yours. I guess it depends a lot of the mood. It is a slow, simple, sweet, beautiful, and quite realistic portrayal of friends-to-lovers trope. I like that it is slow, too, because everything is too fast-paced these days.

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So satisfying.... :-)
-tropes seemed fresh and well-done
-beautiful leads, terrific acting
-GREAT back up cast: Park Hoon, Kim Jooo Hun, and many more
-cameos: Seo In-Guk!
-no yucky love triangle, no OTT melodrama, just a little bit of angst
-a little spearation, not really noble idiocracy
-happy ending
-all the "feels" in only 4 episodes (yes, it could have been a movie)
.....nothing new but just comforting, very well-done and lovable.

This would be a great repeater and/or "palette cleanser"

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First off, I just finished this drama.

Unlike my comments from a year ago when I felt so bored watching just 10 mins of the first ep, I binged all the 4 eps in one sitting today. The show needs to be watched when the mood of the watcher matches with the pace of the show and what it has to offer.

The slow offers slowness, prettiness, coldness (compared with When the Weather is Fine), realistic portrayal of friends-to-lovers trope, some OTT things like the careers of the leads and how successful they become, and some whimsical feels. If you are in the mood for all of this, then you’re in for a ride.

It’s not a usual Kdrama with characters speaking all the time, it’s quite quiet. The ML is quiet, and he portrays a character who has long loved had romantic feelings for his friend very well.

It can get boring sometimes, but you can think of being bored as something good. I read from somewhere that people now seek something stimulating all the time now, and a good dose of boredom can be good.

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