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Crash Course in Romance: Episodes 7-8

Our superstar math teacher encounters an unexpected problem — namely, “irrational” feelings he can’t easily explain away (though not for lack of trying!). But he might not be the only one trying to solve this particular problem by ignoring it and hoping it’ll just go away.

 
EPISODES 7-8 WEECAP

Su-ah and her mother are about to catch Chi-yeol arriving for a tutoring session, but Haeng-sun spots them and warns Chi-yeol to make it look like he’s just a customer. He’s a bit heavy-handed with his loud Oh no, looks like the shop is closed, but for now at least it’s convincing enough.

Meanwhile, the tutoring is already starting to pay off. Hae-yi scores at the top of her class on the next mock exam, above even Su-ah. When Haeng-sun calls Chi-yeol with the good news, he feigns nonchalance, but celebrates as soon as she hangs up. Aww.

They throw a party to celebrate, and since there are five of them (counting Chi-yeol and Young-joo), Chi-yeol calls a very confused Dong-hee to join them and even out the teams for a game of foot volleyball. It’s even in numbers only, though — the boys are absolutely terrible at it.

Watching Haeng-sun in her athletic element does things to Chi-yeol. His heart pounds, and he can’t stop staring at her, and it only gets worse when he sprains his wrist and she runs over to take a look and get him an ice pack.

Naturally, this sends Chi-yeol into a bit of a mental crisis. He’s a sensible man, and (he believes) she’s married! Plus, she’s his student’s mother. What’s wrong with his nervous system?? His therapist figures he’s probably just lonely — if he expands his social circle to include more women, he might feel less strongly attached to this particular woman.

So Chi-yeol takes a colleague up on her offer to set him up with her pianist friend. Despite an awkward start, the date goes well enough that they set a second one, and Chi-yeol breathes a sigh of relief that he can enjoy other women’s company.

Except, the second he’s back in Haeng-sun’s presence, the racing heartbeat and romantic music flare up again. He can barely speak to her without stammering, and when she offers to take him to an acupuncturist for his wrist, he finds himself unable to say no.

He assures himself it’s not a date, then proceeds to obsess over what to wear. He underdresses for class that day, then panics and overcorrects with a nice outfit and way too much cologne. The acupuncturist decides to treat a lot more than just the wrist, and the way he and Haeng-sun push Chi-yeol to accept despite Chi-yeol’s obvious discomfort makes me pretty uncomfortable, too, I have to say. But in the end Chi-yeol holds Haeng-sun’s hand to get through it, and though they bicker in the car afterwards, she’s touched that he finally remembers her full name.

On the way home, Haeng-sun takes Chi-yeol to her mom’s old restaurant, now owned by a family friend. Everything clicks into place for Chi-yeol, but he keeps his realization to himself as he takes it all in — the memories, their shared connection, the story of how and when her mom died. He owes so much to her mom’s kindness, so now he jumps at the chance to repay her family.

Suddenly, Haeng-sun has a new landlord who cuts rent in half and installs AC units throughout the entire building. The next time Chi-yeol comes over to tutor, he exclaims over how nice it is to have AC — so nice, in fact, they ought to have a party to celebrate. And by “party” he means he’ll treat them to dinner at a super fancy restaurant.

It’s not long, however, before Haeng-sun happens to see Dong-hee finalizing paperwork with her old landlord and the truth comes out: her new landlord is Chi-yeol. She tries to brush off Young-joo’s suspicions that Chi-yeol likes her, but can’t help speculating a bit herself, especially when Chi-yeol calls in a group order for lunchboxes for his entire staff and promises to make this a recurring order.

Of course, Chi-yeol’s blind date chooses that moment to breeze in with expensive novelty snacks for the staff and an invitation for Chi-yeol to her piano recital. Haeng-sun is tellingly upset — snapping at Young-joo, insisting Chi-yeol skip tutoring the night of the recital, and scolding Jae-woo for trying to invite Chi-yeol over for Chicken Day (also on recital night).

Chi-yeol brings flowers to the recital, but struggles to stay awake. At intermission, he calls Hae-yi to answer a math question, and overhears Haeng-sun dropping a hot dish and burning herself. He leaves the flowers and rushes straight over to make sure she’s okay, and stays for Chicken Day after all.

Ultimately, the landlord issue comes out. But before he can explain, they’re ambushed by a whole fleet of indignant mothers. Su-ah, on the verge of a complete mental breakdown, has recognized Chi-yeol’s handwriting in Hae-yi’s workbook, and her mother has hired a private investigator to photograph Chi-yeol coming and going from Haeng-sun’s house. They’ve been caught.

While all this is going on, the young detective continues investigating Young-min’s murder, finally convincing his partner that something is up. Seo-jin happens to overhear him talking about those round metal pellets, and that seems to ping her radar. She starts snooping around Hee-jae’s room (sure enough, he’s got a whole pellet stash in his desk drawer) and after he violently removes her from his room, she secretly installs a tracker on his phone.

And she’s not the only one investigating overheard information. “ChiYeolSucks,” who’s actually fellow math teacher JIN YI-SANG (Ji Il-joo), sees Dong-hee give Chi-yeol materials for Hae-yi and starts digging, intending to spin the less-sensational private tutoring situation into a teacher-student relationship scandal. Chi-yeol catches him, punches him in the face, and threatens to sue him for everything he’s got if he doesn’t cease and desist.

Just as Yi-sang is in process of deleting his posts and intel — on the same night Seo-jin follows Hee-jae to an apartment complex — someone in a hoodie shows up at Yi-sang’s apartment to chase him to the rooftop and shoot him in the head with yet another metal pellet.

Hmm. It seems so obvious that Hee-jae is the pellet shooter — but then why hide his face from us whenever he kills someone (assuming Yi-sang is dead)? If, on the other hand, Hee-jae is a red herring, it does seem very convenient that Yi-sang became the target right after a certain devoted assistant noticed something had changed between him and Chi-yeol. (Though I’d love for that to be a red herring, too!)

On another note, I appreciate how quickly a lot of secrets in this show come out into the open. Like Chi-yeol learning about their shared connection, or the moms finding out about Hae-yi’s tutoring. Secrets are fun, but so is navigating the aftermath of discovering the truth — and here’s hoping we can get past the nonexistent husband issue soon so Chi-yeol can navigate having feelings that aren’t so forbidden after all.

 
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CY talking informally and taking care of JW was ADORABLE. Favorite bros-in-law dynamic of the year? 🤭

The chicken night scene was everything, tbh.
When CY was getting out of the house I internally screamed "MOVE IN". Like why can't they live together? For real. CY loves them, they love him. He LITERALLY only eats what his wife cooks, he helps their kid with homework and his bro in law is practically his bestie. C'MON.

Is beyond me how every single character in this show (except for our family members ofc) is into someone else's business.

The title of this episode should be "get a life" or "mind your own business we're trying to have a chicken party here". 🙄
But now I dislike Sun Ah less.
Literally no one around her tells her things how they are. The ones doing things wrong go around with incredible confidence while the ones doing things right hide like sinners.

She always gets what she wants and no one argues with her. Not even her parents.
She can ignore her father and slam the door. She tells her mom she wants to study even if she's sick and her mother let's her. No one tells her that it's okay to not get all the answers right, to not get first place. Everyone around her are actually helping her get her way.
So she's just being consistent with her crappy environment.
I'm pretty sure in her mind she's the only "normal" kid in the whole town. And according to what we have saw do far, maybe she is, because the system is a MESS and her parents too.

I just feel bad for this kid. I feel bad for all the kids here.

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You are right about the environment. And I blame her mother more. Now I know where Su-a got her snooping talent from. Mum is class A.
I mean to be so concerned of another person's chimney popping smoke to not know about your burning house...is really telling.

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Agree with you and @tabong about Su A that she is a product of bad parenting. She has no one to guide her in the right direction. I actually felt sorry for her when she panicked after seeing letters pop out from the paper.

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Exactly.
It's so frustrating watching that woman ignore all the signals that indicate her daughter is on her breaking point because she's too busy spying on a teacher.
That's just... Wow.

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But also her husband is cheating on her. That's the burning house, right?

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The title of this episode should be "get a life" or "mind your own business we're trying to have a chicken party here".

OMG - this makes me LOL 🤣🤣🤣

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The understated Chicken Night story beat was so loaded and so fraught with simmering UST (unresolved sexual tension) I could hardly breathe.

It tops the more flamboyant beats of public affection (throwing celebration parties, dinner at fancy restaurant etc.) precisely because it was SO boring, SO routine, such a tremendous non-event, eating the same chicken takeout and watching a Tiger documentary for the umpteenth time.

For a man who kept underscoring the fact that he is the "One trillion won man", he sure decided real fast that 10pm-1am on Chicken Night will become his favourite waste of time (and money). And that, is saying A LOT.

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Yes!! It says a lot.
He's showing how much they mean to him. They're his family already.
Can HS listen to her bestie and move her car? Because everything that happened that night was a big green light. Just signals everywhere.

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Oh YES. As your fortune cookie would say: "All signs point to YES." Even HS, who has been comically oblivious thus far, *finally* caught a whiff of something afoot that night.

I mean, his opportunity cost was so glaringly high that night. Glaringly. He ditched a hot posh date from a privileged family in the middle of a recital to do what?

Watch a tiger documentary seated farthest away from your object of desire in stony silence with intrusive running commentary from her brother. THEN volunteer to take out trash with a (still) injured hand.

Oscar Wilde once said: "A cynic is someone who knows the price is everything and the value of nothing." CY is a closet romantic, not a cynic or "capitalist pig".

Date night with the whole village isn't romantic at all. And 3 hours of his time would clock a whooping $150 million won. So the fact that he was willing to do all that only proves what a closet romantic he truly is.

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I hope we get to see more of his romantic side next week. I don't want the sky castle moms to ruin their vibe.

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😅 "his wife"

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🤭🤭🤭

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To me, the romance is still easily the strongest part of this show. I definitely have to commend JKH for his wonderful performance, particularly the way he manages to convey a myriad of complicated, tender emotions in one single, lingering gaze. Swoon! Honestly, I didn't even mind CCY going on this blind date because, faced with his instant crush denial, it felt like a very logical step for him. Just like leaving the recital at the end because his heart won out. While I was hoping for some kind of meaningful confrontation between CCY and NHS as a cliffhanger, the Surprise Mom Squad was also an interesting surprise.

Not even going to lie, I want the moms to do a smear campaign à la "NHS sleeps with CCY for free tutoring" but I somehow doubt the show would stoop this low amid an otherwise rather wholesome romance. Still, I kind of need it, just to see CCY attempt to protect the honor of NHS. Wouldn't it be romantic if he willingly embarrassed himself by publicly coming clean about his one-sided infatuation with a married woman just to protect her from the ensuing cheating gossip? Again, I seriously doubt it's going to happen but I would nevertheless eat it up like a delicious chocolate dessert.

At this point, I won't bother to seriously speculate further about the murderer's identity. If the culprit is somebody we already know and who the show didn't frame as suspicious, I will probably be pleased. (Still rooting for a murderous Royal Consort Ji because he's a main player we are emotionally invested in due to his friendship with CCY. And he seems *so* nice and handsome. In this case, the "cold-blooded killer" juxtaposition would be really effective. Same with SJ, by the way, who's my second-favorite guess.)

Also: Why would SJ's brother need to google metal ball facts if he's already experienced enough to efficiently kill multiple people and animals with them? I want to believe that the balls in his possession are merely a sign that he knows about the existing threat and simply wants to stop it. Who knows, maybe he'll even become the next target and SJ's mother will manage to find and/or save him through the locator app?

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Quick thoughts:

- I don't care one bit for SJ's mother. Or the entire SA drama. Or the teenage love triangle that doesn't even really feel fully realized considering that HY's feelings have never truly been part of the equation. The entire thing becomes even blander due to the fact that we never see HY actually tutoring the kid. This means that this relationship hasn't had room to grow since the first episode he appeared in. I also have very few feelings about HY/SJ because he's been way too passive. He seems like a good, loyal friend, but why call dibs on HY behind her back if he otherwise doesn't plan to act on the attraction?

- CCY's casual outfit was hilarious. Personally, I prefer him in his usual getup. Also, kudos to the completely unsubtle cap disguise.

- My heart broke for NHS during the meetup with CCY's blind date. Nevertheless, I think it's a waste that, so far, the show has never truly acknowledged the NHS/CCY age difference and what it could mean for NHS's potential desirability in CCY's eyes. After all, so many women think they're already "past their prime" when they're only hitting their 30s. Then again, I could see why this might be the exact reason why the show works well as the perfect ajumma wish-fulfillment fantasy.

- The timeline feels a little wonky considering that JKH plays CCY in the flashbacks from ten years ago but it's a distinctly younger actor portraying him in the flashbacks with Mom, twelve years ago. Unless I misunderstood something?

- When CCY asked HY about her childhood, I was wondering if he could maybe figure out from his contextual flashback knowledge that NHS cannot be her biological mother. I'm also waiting for him to inquire more about HY's dad and the kind of relationship NHS and he are having. Granted, CCY is probably too much of a gentleman to directly butt into a married woman's life, but I would understand him being worried for NHS if it somehow turned out that her absent husband isn't providing for their family as he should. And finally, HY's obviously shipping it, so she could welcome such questioning and subtly point him in the right direction.

- I really hope that the kisses in this drama will be worth the wait. Let's be real: I expect nothing risky but, after all the glorious pining, I need to see some actual, mature desire in the physical intimacy department. So, not just harmless 10-second pecks with absolutely no lip movement, please. These are adults, and NHS is about to discover that there is more to life than fulfilling her duty as the head of the family. Let that woman live a little. In that context, I am also really curious about how they are going to approach NHS's virginity/inexperience. And what about CCH? Surely he hasn't dated much in the past.

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the show has never truly acknowledged the NHS/CCY age difference and what it could mean for NHS's potential desirability in CCY's eyes.

I see so many people whine about the age difference between the leads even though they appreciate the acting skills of both. IMO, Nam Haeng Seon had to take charge of her entire family at a young age and according to her best friend, she never does anything for self. When you have to continuously run around for a stable income and take care of your family members without having a supporting grown adult, it becomes difficult to spend time on self care. So, the drama is deliberately dressing her as an old and worn out ahjumma despite showing her as having a crackling energy due to her altheltic background. I couldn't care any less if the show decides to not address the age factor.

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My understanding of it was that NHS turned to the only mother image she knew (her own mother) and moulded her new responsibilities the way her mother used to. I suspect that might also include dressing like mom. In flashbacks, she was already dressed like her own mother when she assumed her new role in the family.

Also age difference... My understanding was that there wasn't much of an age difference between the NHS and CCY. Did I miss something? As for the actors, we're not supposed to care, are we?

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I think in the drama itself they're supposed to be around the same age. I try not to generalise (this is a lie) but all the endless harping about her age reminds me of the seven billion dramas where a much older man is cast against a very young woman and nobody bats an eyelid. I'm not saying it but, you know, I'm very pointedly not saying it.

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At another forum, a commenter asked if people can accept the age difference in My Name Is Kim Sam Soon, why not the couple here? Spot on.

What I value most is how comfortable they are with each other. And a bigger family suits him perfectly.

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@emsel: I completely agree. So many women have internalised the toxic misogynistic views about women’s worth being dependent on their age, beauty and fertility. It always depresses me to see how patriarchy gets a helping hand from women. Just stop and think.

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also @darkcc @epyc2010 @dncingemma i think its never the age gap between NHS and CCY or JDY and JKH. its more on how JDY looks her actual age: 49 y.o. while NHS supposed to be 40, at most. the story doesnt fit JDY to be cast as mid-30 NHS, no matter how unkept and worn out NHS is; and the wardrobe & make up department doesnt help in this area either.
and then theres a dialog in earlier episode that said how NHS looks to young to have kid HaeYi age.another blunder.
i personally think that they should just let young NHS being a seasoned national team athlete whose at the latter leg of her career (instead of a newly appointed one) so NHS could be closer to JDY age.

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@nilsche: Why does it matter? JDY is exceptional in the role with her wardrobe the way that it is and the age that she is in. Women should be portrayed as desirable even if they are not in chic clothes. We should train our brains to look past these patriarchal strictures and stop.

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@dncingemma nothing against her. really. and noone against her either. its just she is casted as someone 15 years younger than her actual age. and meanwhile her acting is believable as mid 30ies (i am a mid30ies and i act exactly like NHS) the makeup and wardrobe department cannot keep up with making her looks like "mid30ies who dress like an ahjumma." thats mostly the complain.

about those partriakhy nonsense.. almost none of those men played someone that much younger character. they mostly play someone around their actual age whose dating a much younger girl (played by a much younger actress) so thats a different topic.

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@nilsche: We clearly disagree. She is believable to me as I think of real life and how she looks a thousand times more youthful than the tired and harried women of that age in RL. And, we all watch fantasy and sci fi and and we cope with all of the improbabilities and impossibilities but somehow this is not believable? Oy vey.

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@leetennant: Thank you for saying what should be bloody obvious but it clearly isn’t! And, please say it/not say it from me too!

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I personally think that this show should take advantage of real life age gap between our lead couple. Instead of implied that both our lead are around the same age/NHS is too young to have teenage daughter - they should just embrace noona romance theme from the start. We all love good noona romance when it done right? (See my lovely kim sam soon? Classic)

It wont change any of the plot. Infact it will be more 'scandalous' (in drama setting) because why on earth a rich charismatic star teacher have an affair with someone older than him whom been selling banchan as business, have a 'daughter' and 'cheating' on her 'non-existant husband'.

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Sorry, I really have to disagree with this, the classic themes of a noona romance, which involve the older woman agonizing over the propriety of and future happiness with a “youngster” would not fit at all here, and would add an element that would completely distract from the plot's main elements about competition, achievement, and parenting.

I do wish that the show would have made both characters clearly in their 40s—since Jung Kyung Ho is 40 this year, and making his character say, 43 and Jeon do Yeon 46 would have been a perfectly realistic stretch.

In my experience observing successful relationships, its one thing when the guy is in his 20s and the woman in her 30s—then age considerations seem like a big deal. However, if both partners are 40+, then age gaps really don’t matter. In fact, as couples age, the relative longevity of men and women becomes a factor, and it actually makes a lot of sense for women to marry younger, given the nearly 7 year gap in life expectancy for men and women in Korea!

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@hacja: If I may, I would like to add ‘survival’ to your highlighted elements. The main leads have survived against the odds and there are antagonists who are aiming to thwart this survival.

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They really should retcon their flashbacks or get the backstory and age chart right from the start.

It was patently obvious that HS is meant to be younger than CY (when she showed up as the national athlete in a team blazer at her mum's cafeteria, whilst CY was a struggling teacher applicant mugging for his Civil Servant exams).

To resolve the obvious visual dissonance / age gap in the optics of our OTP, Show should have chosen to:

(i) omit any reference to her being "so young to be a student's mum!" (bollocks)

(ii) go the other way and remark that she looks frumpier or older than the other mums even though she is younger (which makes sense cos everyone else, bar SJ's lawyer mum, is a rich housewife / woman of leisure whereas she has to run a biz, play caregiver to Aspie brother, and raise a kid at a tender age after becoming an orphan herself).

Sorry, but SKII and face serum won't exactly be high on my priority list too if I have so much on my plate just making ends meet.

(iii) cast a younger actress right from the start, and play her as the "old head on young shoulders".

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The age chart is right. There's one factor we have to consider with respect to the age chart of the leads - Hae-e's age. Initially I thought it was inconsistent that the accident occured in 2010. But then, it fits right up with Hae-e's current age - 16-18. So I'll just assume that NHS was in her early twenties when the accident happened. Anything farther than 2008-2010 means Hae-e haven't been born and it'll no longer make sense. And I guess they picked 2010 because it was the world cup and the Olympics would follow up in a few months after - to show the depth of her sacrifice for Hae-e.

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Outside the Dr's when she playfully asked his age he said I'm old enough. I think that was a very pointed answer.

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This throwaway exchange and beat is loaded, especially in the Korean social context. They really have such reverence for seniority there.

Once a baby-faced gf of ours went to S.K. for a film fellowship (she is a film DP) and her handlers/liaison officers treated her quite dismissively until a casual conversation revealed that she is actually older than them. OMG the 180-degree about-turn after that. They turned really deferential and spoke to her with honorifics and newfound respect. Simply because she was older than them. LOL.

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I don't care one bit for SJ's mother. Or the entire SA drama. Or the teenage love triangle that doesn't even really feel fully realized considering that HY's feelings have never truly been part of the equation.

I think these elements have been up to now primarily to advance the narrative about the after-school program, but they are pretty important to the question of various motivations for academic success, and so I think they have a rightful place in the story.

As far as the high school love triangle, it may never be developed, but I don't really think its there as a secondary romance element. In fact, I'm hoping the hockey player will become part of the high school friend group, helping Seon-Jae escape the stifling pressure being put on him by his Mom.

Great comprehensive comment, by the way!

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- Considering JKH's stellar performance, I really cannot wait for JDY as a crushing NHS. Don't get me wrong: I liked how NHS reacted with doubt and disappointment to CCY's alleged crush and how she outright questioned his motives for leaving the recital as it felt realistic and appropriate for her character. I just cannot wait to see her confront her own feelings and, with that, her identity as an adult woman with all the romantic wants and needs that adulthood might entail.

Further: Considering that, so far, their couple dynamic hasn't really seemed to follow the typical gender clichés, I'm really interested to find out in which way these two will remain atypical or not.

- The fact that the murder series remains largely unacknowledged in the show's universe, remains completely puzzling to me. And we still don't know what happened to Stalker Girl! The next few episodes should definitely center on the fact that Pride Academy staff and students are being targeted by a mysterious killer, even if Pride Academy might want to shut the news down in order to protect its brand image. Such a twist would actually manage to underscore the capitalist cutthroat nature of the education business and the fact that, to some, kids' lives are worth next to nothing if there's only enough money to be made.

- I didn't really like how CCY randomly gifted HY the learning tablet. Hopefully, it will lead to consequences of the "unfortunate implications" kind unless HY is allowed to be smart and will only use this tablet within the privacy of her home. I mean, considering that SA already went through her personal stuff once...

- In my opinion, the CCY/NJW bonding was done a little overhasty. While I think it works, so far, I wish those two could have been more one-to-one interactions in the past to establish the basis for a personal connection. I'm also not sure I completely buy the nurturing side of CCY towards NHS's family that the show has shown us. Mainly because he's indirectly fulfilling the role of the provider, the so-called "man of the house", all while nobody addresses the elephant in the room: The absent husband and father figure. Let's hope that the next few episodes will deal with this very topic as well as make clear that CCY is not just helping the family out of pity.

- After watching the preview for the next episode, I felt a little meh considering that the show seems to reuse a pattern that I already criticized in previous comments. Still, I absolutely adore seeing CCY simp for NHS. As long as the show doesn't exaggerate its drama too much, I guess I will continue to happily focus on the pair's excellent chemistry.

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I have a new theory - the metal pellet shooter is not Chi-Yeol's protector/stalker, but Hae-e's. Two possible reasons:

1. When CY asked HE about why they moved to that neighbourhood, she seemed a little reticent in answering, and her answer was a bit odd - "... moved because of me ... because I hit puberty". Had there been issues at her previous home/school? Could it be *gasp* Sun-jae?

2. The incidents involving Young-min (the student who took HE's rightful place in the exclusive class) and Jin-Yi-sang (the guy behind the anti-fan website) could have been to avenge HE. However, the shop window busting incident and the crazy fan would not quite fit in with this theory though.

I'm really hoping that it's not Dong-hee though. It would be a shame to play up the psycho protector trope if he were the middle-schooler who disappeared 10 years ago.

I also think it's not Hui-jae. He seemed to be doing research about the ball bearings to solve the mystery, rather than buying more ammunition.

I doubt it's anyone in the mom group. They seem to be interested in frivolous scandalmongering rather than righting any wrongs.

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I agree, Hee Jae is almost too obvious!!!! But, I am leaning toward Sun Jae. Maybe he got a whiff of the fact that Yi San (CCYSucks) was going to involve Hae Yi, so got rid of him. I think the previous attacks were because he was acting out of stress, and the older brother is covering for him.
This also storyline wise makes it easier for us to root for the Hockey kid later as endgame. Which would be a cop out, but also a likely solution.
I do think MrJi is the missing brother from the past, but that he likes ChiYeoul, especially after their initial interaction at the funeral.

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Let's do an unscientific Beanie straw poll here or start a betting pool: Who is the mystery sharpshooter?

It's open season now, no guesses will be dissed and can run thee gamut from the sublime to the ridiculous!

currently, we seem to have:
1) Hee Jae
2) Sun Jae
3) Ji Consort
4) MIA brother of dead female student
5) left of the field stranger we have not seen before

It would be terribly funny if it were one of the most innocuous looking Moms who didn't even get a dialogue line yet (Replicant gone rogue! lol)

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It would be really sad if it were Sun-jae, though it would make for a more interesting story than if Royal Consort Ji or the MIA brother of dead student were the pellet shooter.

I don't think HE is particularly enamoured by the ice hockey kid, or she by him. I think he's just messing with Sun-jae cos he finds it fun.

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After marathoning all 8 episodes in two days, I'm leaning toward Royal-Consort-Ji-is-the-dead-student's-MIA-brother and that he could be the pellet shooter. He does this to protect Chi-yeol who had provided comfort to his sister in the past. Meanwhile, Hee-jae is simply researching the shooter, whom he might encounter by chance while feeding the stray cats.

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Stalker Girl is irrelevant to the storyline; she was just a catalyst to start the murder mystery plot.

She was immediately blacklisted, so none of the academy students or staff would look for her. She didn't appear to have any friends who attended the academy with her, and she went to a different high school than the others. So, there's no reason for any of our characters to investigate Stalker Girl.

It's possible that she'll come back into play later on a surface level as the detectives investigate more, but she's not meant to be a character for us to dwell on.

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I'm loving the romance too! I really appreciate that the writer is taking a slow approach and allowing the leads to bond and develop their relationship before they get together. And after watching this episode it made me think to myself that I need to see Jung Kyung-ho in more romance dramas because the way CCY looks at NHS makes even my heart flutter! I'm so excited for their relationship to develop even further and see him officially become apart of the Nam family. It's not just the way he cares for NHS but the way he's so protective and caring of Haeyi and Jaewoo makes me weep inside. I'm a sucker for the found family trope.

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I replayed the scene so many times: where HS told CY she would bring him to the doctor tomorrow night, and the nuances in CY's facial expression ("You mean...go together?") is OMG priceless. So good.

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Yes! Jung Kyungho is so good at portraying all the various conflicting and growing feelings CCY has towards NHS through his eyes.

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I LURVE your smear campaign idea!

I read somewhere the other title of series is "One Hit Scandal" -- honestly, let's go BIG or go HOME.

And I love it that what started off as a really brilliant act of expediency and protection by her bestie (both to shield HA from social stigma, and protect HS from unwanted rumors) is now working against their case on both counts (for the budding romance, as well as gossip fodder for impending scandal)

In trailer, there is a V/O from HA about how [SPOILER] - so there. Another reason for the drama to drag out lol

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if you watched Episodes 9-10...ummm You nailed It! I'm really impressed with you predicting skills. A sexy scandal, CCH defending the honor of his love, truths coming out...wow. Did you see a script?!

Royal Consort Ji (🤣) is, I think, the middle school kid who was initially blamed for killing his mother. I think he empathizes with CCH b/c he took was unfairly accused.

Anyway, we AK brother is prob a red herring, as the metal ball killer. I hope it's not SJ!? I love the 4 healthy-ish high school friends.

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This story is giving me SO.MANY.FLASHBACKS.
My mom was chill as long as I didn't drop too low so I actually performed very well in school because there was no stress.
Good enough to get into the helicopter mom radars.
There was once this (minor) exam that I forgot because I forgot to give the admission slip to my mom. All the helicopter moms knew. AND MY MOM DIDN'T KNOW BECAUSE I HAVEN'T GIVEN HER THE SLIP. We were both confused as to why everybody was asking if I was sick or something the day before. 🤣

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I'm also getting flashbacks, my dad was worse than SJ's mom.

I wonder if that's what the show is trying to say, "kids with chill parents get better notes". So far I have no idea where the commentary on their educational system is going. 🤔

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I'm so sorry you had to go through that.
While every kid is different, I definitely wouldn't have been half as successful had I been forced into it. (I'm the kind that does the things that I'm specifically asked not to do, and looking back, I think my parents hacked it because I was told "not" to do a lot of good things 🤣). Definitely wouldn't have studied if I was forced to it.

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Yeah, it wasn't pretty. I remember one time a friend and I cried because of our grades and how we were going to get killed at home, while everyone in our class looked at as like annoying freaks.
We were in the top 5 of our class so all our friends thought we were being too much crying because of one "dumb" exam, especially since almost everyone got a bad grade that time.

In CCIR we see a good method to help your kid study. The genuine support HS gives her child. She never tries to set goals for her kid, all she does is help Hae Yi accomplish the goals Hae Yi sets for herself. HY was able to find herself and she also got motivation.

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I am from an Asian country so you would have fit right in with most of my friends. If that makes you feel any better. Everybody thought I was a genius for scoring high without private classes (I was too lazy). But I firmly believe that it was the lack of pressure that made me get good grades. I genuinely liked learning because of it.

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@Palaa @tabong:

If you're of East Asian descent (Chinese, Korean, Japanese), come and sit right next to me. East Asian parents singlehandedly invent the "tiger moms" phenomenon 🤣 (hmmm, now that I think of it, maybe Jae-woo's obsession with tigers is a running comic gag and sly social commentary in the backdrop)

I am just glad I have already graduated and escaped the school system. My gfs with young kids tell me the teachers explicitly expect them to enroll their kids in private academies for extra tuition to keep up with what is taught in the school curriculum (?!)

Like Palaa, I am fortunate to have chill parents who bucked the trend and adopt a laissez-faire attitude towards our education. My dad explicitly chided my kindergarten teacher for assigning homework. He told her: "Kids are supposed to play!" 😂❤

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@joanna I am from South Asia. The situation is just as bad here but our media is still in denial.

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@joanna nope. I'm from South America, I just had bad luck. 🤣 Parents in my country, and especially in my town, aren't like that.

Your dad sounds cool. And he's totally right.

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Glad we are all now in a space to look back and laugh about it. Can't imagine what the kids have to go through these days *shudder*

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^^ Don't worry. I started therapy my in college, and now I'm fine.

I'm glad you had that experience. It would be nice if more kids get to live like that. We spend almost all our youth studying, so it would be nice to actually enjoy it.

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I am glad that you are okay now. Better late than never, huh?
I also know a lot of people who discovered their passions very late in life because they were pushed to be doctors or lawyers. It's really sad that majority of people loose their childhood just for their parents' bragging rights.

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During Chicken Day, Chiyeol rolling up Jaewoo’s sleeve made me swoon more than any of his stolen glances at Haengsun. And boy those were some swoony glances. But we don’t see Jaewoo getting any affection or gentleness from his sister (except that one time at the police station) or his niece, so that small gesture from Chiyeol-hyung kind of broke my heart.

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The sleeve scene was everything!
Every single woman in that family seems to get annoyed even if the only thing JW does is breath, so I think having a bro in law like CY is going to be the best for him. They're super cute together.

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I loved the chicken day and the whole Jae-woo and Chi-yeol Hyung dynamics. I didn't see it coming but that arc is far better than the helicopter mums and the mystery. I hope we get more of it and more of Jae-woo as a character.

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I don't agree about the fact she doesn't show love to his brother. The woman is watching the same documentary every week for him... She bought him a waffle maker.

Yeah, he has autism but he's not a child neither a little thing. He still needs to adapt to a certain point. He's lucky, he works with her and doesn't have to work with strangers.

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You’re right, he’s provided for, but I’d like to see Jaewoo getting a hug or a smile sent his way once in a while.

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It's not like autistic persons like to be hugged in the first place... And she smiles at him, she listens to him, she lets him getting his waffle at the same hour every day, she cares about him when he was at the hospital she stayed with him, at the Police station, etc.

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She chokes down his terrible waffles and tells him they're amazing. She's constantly there for him. He clearly feels comfortable being able to just be himself and live his life because of the safe framework she provides.

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I just flat out love this show and its understated vibe. Its ridiculous, vain, awkward, kind, blinkered genius male lead and its unintentionally hilarious female lead who mothers everybody out of instinct because it's never occurred to her somebody would need her for a different role.

The show is heartwarming without being heavy handed or manipulative. Its comedy is equally as subtle. And really, as far as serial-killers-in-a-romcom go, the crime parts are relatively well integrated as well.

I really love how subtle the thematic framing is too. All our characters are or have been so focussed on something that they block everything else out. They then emerge, suddenly, dazed and confused, blinking into the sun, unable to work out how to do anything else.

Can the back half hold up its end of the bargain?
*peeks at next week through closed fingers*

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Agree with you. The show has that taste of sweetness we have missed for a long time. It may be old-school romance, but it makes my day and tugs at my heartstrings.

The comedy is also well done. I keep laughing without finding it random or out of place.

I know the murder arc here is better than the other dramas but still, I want it to take a backseat or even go out of the car. This weeks' episodes have been the best for me so far and I don't want either the helicopter mums or the mystery to ruin my watching experience.

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If I could add one more obvious thing to your usual thoughtful comment, I really like the way intense focus of the characters blinds them to why what they are focusing on is important. This is most obvious in terms of the mothers, who are willing to sacrifice their marriages (although the husbands are jerks, so maybe no big loss) and the health and happiness of their children, because they think it will bring longterm health and happiness. But what's the point if you've damaged everything in the process?
Its a little more subtle for Chi-yeol and Haeng-sun--they haven't become totally one dimensional in their drive, but they've partially lost sight of why you'd want to be a top teacher or a successful shop-owner and family head, so their romance is leading as you say, to a really heart warming awakening.

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Hae-yi being a low-key shipper of NHS and CCY when she asked her mom to dress up for the doctor's visit.

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I love how subtle she is in her nudges, in comic juxtaposition to how clueless HS is.

I love the comic timing and filter-free "the emperor has no clothes on" punchlines by JW. ("You are wearing cologne. A LOT of it).

I especially love CY's therapist in Ep 7 -- I seldom see a therapist played with such sly & cheeky subtlety towards a patient. It's great comedy

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+1 for the therapist! She has been great from day 1, but I loved her this time especially. They have such great rapport, he must have been seeing her for a long time and I bet she's thrilled he now has these disruptive people in his life!

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IKR! She was especially good in Ep 7. The whole exchange between them in that story beat is comedy gold.

She straddles this fine line of "I want to lead you down this line of thinking to reach abc conclusion and do xxx, BUT I can't tell you that outright cos I also want you to come to this decision yourself and own it." You could tell she is terribly amused too, and barely keeping her poker face on.

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Yes! I guessed last week that Hae-yi would be the one to clear up the whole fake husband thing and I kind of still hope she will be (though who knows what will come out in the coming scandal) because she obviously doesn't hate the idea of her mom and her tutor becoming a thing. I loved their interactions so much!

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I was expecting a hot acupuncture doctor cameo. But when it was an older doctor, I realized that Hae-yi was low-key shipping our OTP.

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Ep 9 preview is again triggering my annoyance with the education-obsessed-moms' plot. I wish they get rid of it at least by the end of ep 10, so we can focus on the budding romance between the leads. The FL has done so much for the ML that I now wish to see the reversal being shown, but our FL doesn't lack in any aspects of life except for romance and her sacrificed career, so Idk, maybe make Chi Yeol take Haeng Seon out to handball games as date.

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Yeah, I want one "don't say a word to her she is my woman" moment :D

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I think we are getting there.
Su-a and her husband will soon be an important matter for Su-hee.
I also think Haeng-seon will do something (she is not the patient type).
Sun-jae's mum is already busy with older brother, and the other ladies will fizzle out.
I think the last quarter of the show will be about catching metal ball shooter.

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Once the ML realized FL is actually the daughter of his savior, he went into overdrive to "repay the kindness", so to speak.

1) He bought over their building and halve their rent;
2) He installed AC in every room;
3) He bought them an expensive dinner in a fine-dining joint;
4) He directed business to her with group orders;
5) He bought HE a high-end learning tablet for math
6) He spent time with her Aspie brother even though he admits JW sometimes makes him uncomfortable (because HE mentioned that JW is smitten with him since the camping and possibly crave a brother figure to bond with)

I think our ML is doing well. Nubbad at all :)

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These are things that help her family as a whole. I mentioned doing something specifically for her.

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i'm really tired of the homely clothes (always with flower motif) Haeng Seon wears... i like Chi Yeol's clothes, however...

just call me the Fashion Police!
: D

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Second that.
The straw that broke the camel's back for me was that ghastly flower knitted vest she wore right at the end of Ep 8 (when she injured her hand and was trying to put down the shutters of her shop). It was OMG hideous.

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Her 80s-90s outfits just kill me, where are they even finding all those floral sweaters? It’s like her fashion sense is frozen at the time she had to leave the handball team and become “mom”. She went straight from team clothes to ajumma outfits.

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I blame the hair/makeup/wardrobe departments. It is a gross injustice to make our FL walk around like a fashion holocaust.

I would have liked to see them leverage on her character design as ex-national athlete more. We have all seen fit , glowingly healthy people wearing just simple/scruffy shorts, slippers and tank tops walk into a room, and suddenly all the posh moms with their bling bling and Botox just fade OUT.

I can totally see HS do that, and it would fit right into their story world and still be consistent with her humbler socio-economic status.

They say: "Thin girls look good in clothes, but fit girls look good naked." She should exemplify the latter (given her athlete backstory) and just give 'em Tiger moms a run for their money.
Just ditch the hideous floral rags!

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I wonder if she's just so strapped for cash, she's just wearing her mother's clothes. If her fashion was really frozen in time (late 2000s), she'd be wearing skinny jeans and athleisure all the time.

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Oh, interesting!

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@ar @bbstl:

You know what, you could both be right!

I initially had the same thought too (her mum passed away in 2010 during the World Cup), so if we go by the "frozen in time" theory / hand-me-downs theory, her fashion sensibilities should date to 2010s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010s_in_fashion
(sorry, the visual assault is so great on my eyes, I had to investigate further on this bewildering wardrobe call)

The intriguing thing is that 2010s fashion at one point was actually a retro throwback to the 1980s fashion -- in part due to the poor economy at that time (austerity drive etc.) Which made sense cos 2008-9 was the GFC/Subprime crisis that rocked the entire world economy.

So, her ghastly clothes may have a method to the sartorial madness after all (I pity the actress now oh dear...)

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Though I do want the “pancakes” tee that NHS’ bestie wears… any idea where to find it?

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Can’t believe I’m saying this but Jang Seo-jin getting 80 something notifications from the mum chat and rolling her eyes hard about how the mums got nothing better to with their time made me laugh so hard 😂
TRUTH!

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me too. if they use half of that time to focus on their family's wellbeing, they will be far better

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Word.

A filmmaker gf confessed to us once that she was called a "bad mum" because she was a chill mum, and the mums' group chats are often a source of toxic stress for her lol

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So far, these episodes were the best for me. I love how slow-burn the romance is Chi-yeol getting flustered, thinking about Haeng-soon all the time, trying to convince himself he is attracted to other women. But it takes only a glimpse of Haeng-soon for his heart to melt.

I love that Hae-yi is supporting their relationship. Telling Haeng-soon to dress up and take her time. I thought she might get possessive but no our girl is all for her mother's happiness.

Unlike Su-ah whose only job is to throw fits of anger and try to ruin people's lives. I get why fellow beanies are sorry for her but still she is old enough to at least think about the consequences of her actions.Getting on top isn't all there is to life and we are bound to meet people who are more successful than us so grow up girl.

It comes as no surprise that the father is having an affair with his wife meddling in other people's lives and leaving hers to break down. Also, going as far as to hire a detective agency got on my nerves. I can't stand Su-ah's mother any more no matter her perspective.

Also, what is with gathering everyone and going to Haeng-soon's house? Since when did they give themselves the right to go around punishing people for their actions which ironically aren't wrong while the helicopter mothers' actions are?

I will stop talking about those non sense mothers since I am started to feel mad again.

I love the new found family dynamics and I am all in for Jae-woo and Chi-yeol bromance. Why not give them more screen time and shove those mothers aside? I ho[ed Chi-heol had joined the chicken day from the beginning but it is okay since we got what we wanted at the end.

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The funny thing about Su-ah to me is that her competitiveness (and therefore whole sense of wellbeing) is hyper-local. She gets this devastated when someone in her own local high school scores better than she does? What about all the other high schools? Why isn't she more concerned with national numbers instead of picking on this one local student she feels is threatening her position? It's honestly that part that makes her feel really petty and sad to me. If she gets into a great university, she will just be one of many hardworking students there and I'm not really sure how she'll handle it.

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They say pick someone your own size...

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I'm not sure how the Korean system works but I'm pretty sure being top in a subject at your own school matters very little in terms of national averaging. Don't most countries assess students nationally with standardised testing? There will be plenty of students who top their school who can barely compete nationally because the competition at their school simply wasn't as high. Which is why the whole thing is entirely persons. Su-ah feels challenged not academically but socially because "how dare this poor girl with no private academy classes who wastes her time on friends and family be able to challenge me". She's an assault on her entire belief system.

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Yes, I think the Korean system is also national. (One of the only exceptions to this that I know of in the US are certain universities will automatically accept students that are in the top 10% of their classes, regardless of how they compare nationally, as a way of controlling for schools that lack funding and opportunities.) They are all prepping for the CSAT, at which point they'll all be measured against every other person roughly their age in the whole country. I think you're right that it must be a class thing, and certainly a jealousy thing on a level much deeper than grades and ranking. What a broken worldview.

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I think you are right @leetennant Her hostility towards Hae-yi is severe. Su-ah views Hae-yi as her biggest threat

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I don't get how she's so openly disdainful of her teachers. Maybe it's all about the scores in korea and there are no such things as being graded for conduct and needing recommendations or extracurricular activities.

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Unfortunately, it seems like an unspoken culture there that top students have the right to do anything they want as long they keep up with their studies. Even if they behaved badly towards a teacher, the said teacher can't do anything in the face of the scary tiger mothers.

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Loved this week's episodes. Jung Kyung-ho is just killing it with his micro-expressions whether it's in the comedic scenes or when he looks at Haeng-seon.

Also like the little school love triangle we have going on. The boys are believably childish and it entertains me. I'm convinced Geon-hu is just pretending to be dumb so he can become friends with Hae-e lol.

I'm kinda done with the entitled mom squad and the mystery but the show is good at not going overboard with it. At this point I think the attacker is someone we either haven't met yet or have only seen in passing - still have 8 episodes to go so it's not too late to introduce a new character entirely.

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It will funny if love triangle between haeyi and these two boys end up with haeyi friendzone both of them.

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I actually want that😂
I get this feeling that my girl is not interested in dating yet. She hasn't shown or done anything that is perceived as interest in one of the boys.
I also think Geon-hu is just having fun and not actually interested in Hae-yi. If he was, they would have shown the two alone. But for now, his scenes are always with Sun-jae and the third friend present.

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I find Geon-hu seriously under-utilized as a character; as is Sun-Jae. Show needs to short-fuse and raise the stakes quickly here.

I am hoping to see that in the next episode on BOTH parallel fronts:
(a) the maligned mother HS -- and CY having to defend his woman here. (we already got a preview of how far he is willing to take it when he told troll teacher he would sue him to bankruptcy and make sure he can never find work in this industry ever again. This is exactly the kind of Alpha behaviour that I love in a man)

(b) the maligned daughter HE -- and either one, or both boys [SPOILER] insinuation

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I think (b) will definitely happen based on the preview heh. Reminded me of a similar scene in 18 Again.

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I'm with you on the stalker being a completely different character we've never noticed. That's what I thought it to be from the beginning until Hui-jae cast doubts and cleared and now a certain assistant is repeating the process.

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I feel so bad for Sun-jae. But it's also funny how Geon-hu has so effortlessly snuck into their friends circle. And he did it by being vulnerable and just having zero shame in saying, "hey i need help! You help me!". Like does he know he's doing it? Or is he just like a super-friendly, easy-going guy?

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It's why I feel Geon-hu isn't dumb. If nothing else, he definitely has street smarts and a way with people. He has so much fun teasing poor Sun-jae lol.

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wild card theory / classic misdirection:

We all think Geon-Hu has his eye on Hae-e and relishes getting under a jealous Sun-jae's skin. BUT what if, his real covert object of desire is Sun-jae?

Think: the annoying boy who pulls your hair is not the one who hates you, he is the one crushing hard on you. 🤣

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You're not the only one who's had this thought 🤣 🤝!

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Geon-hu interrupting Sun-jae and Hae-e's downtime is a no-no. It was a very petty move considering the fact that he didn't even need Hae-e at the time. I like it when characters play fair. He's not. I like what the purpose his character serves - to make Sun-jae jealous, but I do not like his character one bit anymore. And I'm not referring to a romantic triangle here, I'm referring to their friendship triangle. To make a constant behavior of always interrupting one of the few healthy relationships Sun-jae has with the outside world is a no-no.

Now you have me suspecting "a certain assistant" cause it was so so definitely not a coincidence. Even if Sun-jae witnessed Young-min badmouth Chi-yeol, he didn't witness the stalker girl and CCYSucks. Will that also be a red herring. But then why was he at the apartment.

I guess it was meant to make Haeng-seon jealous, but I wanted to reach into the screen and smack the heads of those assistant teachers for abandoning the food Chi-yeol order for them in favor of the one brought by the renowned pianist from a wealthy family. I was hurt. I thought they would eat both dishes cause that's what is more logical to do but they just sidelined Haeng-seon's dishes for reasons I do not intend to understand. He freaking ordered meals for you - something he never does and you do not even touch it the moment someone brought another which you consider more classier? I know they do not owe him a pin based on his behavior but it's just plain ingratitude to me.

Give CCIR an award in quick pace of secret unraveling. CCYsucks, the landlord situation, the pokenosing mom's investigation and final discovery, this leaves room for more drama to unfold and it's just exciting that you know what off the table and what's not.

Chi-yeol folding Jae-wook's sleeve, his attachment to Haeng-seon's family as a whole, his caring for much for Haeng-seon's wellbeing, the way he talked Haeng-seon into a 3-1 just as he she did him - sent a lot of good hormones as I watched them unfold. The dessert to top it all? Cue to Chi-yeol inviting Yeong-ju to join in on the next hangout. I saw that as him basically acknowledging and accepting all parts of Haeng-seon. I was worried about Yeong-ju being at the receiving end as things were beginning to get serious and he just told her to tag along the next time. I don't know if Yeong-ju was calmed by the invitation, but I most definitely was.

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Yes -- that banchan vs posh snacks scene was so realistic that it was emotionally painful to re-watch again. It wasn't even about the jealousy.

But a "gravity" problem is essentially unsolvable -- a competitor has shown up who is far younger than you, prettier than you, comes from a far more privileged family background than you. What can you do about that? Nothing. And that is why it hurts.

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The snacks thing sort of have trouble resonating with me because I would totally be eating both. And if there are leftovers, I could then bring them home. So more food is a win.

Guess I'm not a classy person.

I was sort of annoyed at Haeng-seon's friend for putting the romance idea in her head since Haeng-seon was so hurt by the food thing.

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Zacklee!

My game plan: eat the banchan for lunch (which tastes optimal whilst piping hot); THEN keep the novelty snacks for tea-time.

OR pack to go (cos the posh muscats are individually plastic-wrapped and egg tarts are meant to be eaten at room temperature anyway)

*Tsk*tsk* sorry, those colleagues are obviously amateurs and not very good at strategizing food rations lol

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Will also add Jeon Do-yeon/Haeng-seon saying ANYWAY and other english phrases is my catnip. She sounds so cute and not in a condescending way but in a…ummm very very sexy way. What can I say, I’m in love!

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Her anyway gives me joy. When people correct her and she doesn't
want to listen, I find myself saying it with her. Chi-yeol has picked up the habit too😂. He said it to divert attention during the whole Air con talk.

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Now that you mentioned it, I really like how he picks up her speech habits. The other example is how he swears, then he suddenly catches himself ("OMG I sound just like her now"), and cusses AGAIN.

Very old married couple dynamics -- their mirror neurons must be firing like crazy lol

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Thank you for the recap. I have been refreshing the page since yesterday :) I ve got my coffee and ready to enjoy your comments . I dont know the reason but this drama still doing so good , no filler episodes and full of attraction .

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This drama is my current soul patch. I can relate so well to CCY when he suffers from lack of sleep and appetite (only I'm not a maths genius, unfortunately).

I love the humour and even the overzealous mothers don't upset me, I just look forward too much to the moment when they get their just punishment. The more they put their foot down, the greater their humiliation will be.
A smitten CCY is the highlight of every episode for me. I can't wait until he finally finds out that JDY is not married.

I'm speculating now that the family moved because HY was bullied in eighth grade. Possibly because it was known in their old neighbourhood that JDY is not her mother. And this experience will also be the reason why HY has not yet told CCY what the family situation really looks like.

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I didn't know everyone thought Jeon Doyeon's outfits were so ugly. I like them. They suit her character.

*runs and hides in corner*

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I loved 'em too! no need to hide anywhere, we all have diff tastes, and its fine!

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I love this show.

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This is pretty out there but honestly I keep wondering if they’re going to introduce a plot line with Hae Yi’s real mom showing up. She feels like the undropped shoe to me. Oh and wait, wasn’t CY in the restaurant exactly when Hae Yi was dropped off (and omma ran after the sister and was hit by the car)? Maybe he will remembered that as part of knowing HY is not the real daughter.

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I know Choi Chi-yeol’s dad died at the time and he was in his own head but lol the fact that a huge crash happened and Haeng-seon and others ran to to the scene off the accident made it…I’m sorry…kinda funny to me?

Yes it would’ve probably retraumatized him but wow dude really knows how to disconnect from reality

The biological mother plot will and should come back, it’ll be good for Hae-E to achieve her goals for herself instead of revenge. Which why I’m completely dumbfounded that we even have the stupid murder/stalker plot to begin with. There is so much story to be told without the need for such a silly subplot

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Yes, agreed! So much!

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Yes I can imagine her real mum coming back and converging into this grand furious river of plot-lines.

It's kind of reminiscent of "Where the Camellias Bloom" (yes, another rom-com with murder-mystery subplot, single mum & abandoned kid lol)

The FL's mum who abandoned her when she was a kid suddenly came back to look for her whilst a serial killer was on the loose. There was a point of classic misdirection where the audience began to wonder if the real mum who showed up in town was in fact the serial killer (she wasn't, she was always protecting her daughter on the quiet by shadowing her all these years, thus saving her from the serial killer 6 years earlier).

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If a certain devoted assistant is NOT a red herring, I am done.

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This show has been in my radar since it was first released but I've been busy with rl to get into it at first. I binged the 8 episodes in a span of a few days and I love it. The lead couple is my absolute fave. I dropped the other dramas that I started but I just know I will stick to this til the end.

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Impressions of Eps 7&8:
-After 6 eps or nothing much, we jumped right into the romance with CCY suddenly making goo-goo eyes and shooting tender looks at HS. That segue into love was a bit choppy to me and could have been handled more smoothly, but at least the romance portion has started. Yay!
-Sorry, but Stalker Girl completely disappearing with zero buzz from the other students bothers me still. She was shown talking on the phone more than once to somebody (she even commented that her mom was always busy), so someone knows she’s gone. Even if she didn’t have close friends at school, the students would notice she’s simply dropped off the face of the earth.
-Age difference: it appears they’re going to leave us with the initial explanation. IMO, that was a bad plot point as it’s obvious she’s much older than he is. Why they even brought it up at all baffles me, but hopefully there’s no more references to it.
-Pianist showing up out of the blue with snacks for CCY’s staff? Feels implausible and imo was written only to create a bit of competitive jealousy for HS. And it was fun to see HS get prickly! Now that CCY bailed on the pianist, will she going to continue to pursue him? (I think she will and it may inspire HS to spruce herself up. She needs to BURN that flowered sweater vest! Lol) CCY really needs to see her as a woman now, not a mother figure.
-While HS shows her brother lots of patient tolerance and affection in small, loving ways, I still don’t care for the way she treats him on a physical level. And she snaps at/yells at him more than she does anyone else. It’s a bug-a-boo of mine.
-Chicken night was marvelously written and wonderfully acted.
-The Bullying Moms would get a swift kick from me if they showed up at my home at night unannounced and demanding explanations for something that’s none of their business. I’m really interested in how that plays out.
-The Murderer is not SJ or his brother. The only thing I’m confident in is that is those were definitely a grown man’s hands that fired that ‘gun’ at Yi-San.
-I’m excited to see what’s in store because we’re only halfway through the episodes!

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One of my captnips is when the dude, who could never have imagined himself falling for the gal, falls first and the gal doesn't really feel anything for him yet. I loved the scene of CCY getting ready for the doctor's appointment like it was a date. And I also liked how HS was wary about all these nice gestures.

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for those who likes the camping song, kona's our night is more beautiful than your day" might want to check a rendition of it that i find truly beautiful. i'll just drop the link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2pUUPtxZb4 . btw, i am so liking this drama, and especially the romance of the main leads, the actors are just perfect for the roles.

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I have to agree with many of the foregoing comments: the understated moments, the fleeting micro-expressions, the dawning realization that you can literally see blooming onscreen — sigh, these make me happy.

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