Just Between Lovers appreciation post.
This drama is painful. It starts with a catastrophe that sends most of the characters’ lives off their foreseen trajectory. Then we watch them barely scrapping by, trauma and survivers’ guilt weighing down on their shoulders. On top of that, there are medical issues agogo. Had I known beforehand, I would have avoided it like the plague – because I don’t do hospital dramas.
Still, I watched the hell out of it in 3 days. I couldn’t let it go.
It was a combination of good Beanie feedback, Junho’s face and a moment of weakness from my broken brain that lead me to press play.
Do I regret it? Definitely, not. It’s beautiful.
Munsu and Kangdu went a long way, and it feels nice to see them slowly learning how to cope with trauma in healthier ways. I would have preferred it if drama had shown them looking for counseling, but episode 14 – when we see them talking and the effect of their words on each other – felt incredibly healing.
Still, I have issues.
First of all, why doesn’t anybody talk to anybody? People hide diseases, plans, the past… it’s maddening to watch them hamg out without spilling the beans about what really matters. And why so much suffering? Why? I think I understand what drama was trying to tell us with Kangdu’s medical issue in the last stretch – but it felt like drama stabbed me in the chest and kept turning the knife for the heck of it… If they didn’t solve that happily, I’d have cursed this for the ages.
But it is one of those dramas I’ll remember. I fell in love with half of the characters – and also all the cameos (Hi, Anupam Tripathi!). We got a satisfactory arc for every character, and even the unsavoury characters like Chaebol Brother were shown with nuance and had a believable comeuppance (also, loved Dad’s little awkward selfie, he!). Romance was nicely built up, even Noble Idiocy felt organic, and Kangdu and Munsu aren’t only Fated Lovers™: they are attracted to each other like magnets (so many casual meetings on the street!), but they have a great rapport and the relationship deepens and progresses and they go along.
Finally, I need to talk about the cinematography. This drama makes ugly places look beautiful. Never did a fishing boat, dingy shops and boarding house rooms look this sad and pretty. Besides, its got an amazing OST (particularly loved the instrumental pieces, couldn’t find them on YT, though) that complements nicely the scenes and never feels manipulative.
So, would I recommend this to other Beanies? Hell, yes! But only if you’re feeling strong enough to go through all the pain.

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    I love this drama so much. It’s based on a real life tragedy in South Korea (Chocolate also has characters tied to the tragedy). I loved the couple, the cinematography and the found family. Junho is amazing in this one.

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    I’ve been hearing a lot about JBL on beanies wall, I think I’ll give it a go, just tell me if it has satisfactory ending or not, cause after watching sadness for that long, happy ending is what I expect, so does it have?!

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    I don’t know how they managed to use the right soundtrack in every single scene, and it alleviated the drama to become a masterpiece for me. It’s like some valuable piece you discovered in an antique shop; you didn’t expect it, but here it is.

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      JBL’s soundtrack is wonderful. I listen it to date.

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    I always say this is a drama about two people who learn to live instead of just surviving. And this may be the main reason why they never talk, because both MoonSoo and KangDoo need to leave behind the survivor’s guilt and learn to live. I also wished they had some professional help, but it is not that they change or “heal” just because, the way they discover they have the right to be happy and leave the past behind is perfectly built during the drama.

    I particularly loved YooJin (Kang Hanna) and Kangdoo’s relationship. It’s always nice to see a real friendship between a man and a woman in which both of them respect, admire and like their friend and openly talk about it.

    The music and cinematography… what can I say. Most songs are on my OST playlist, and this song… well, I always love when Junho sings with his lower tone, he always goes with the highest notes in 2PM. I just love his voice like this.

    I can tell you that when you rewatch, you will love it even more. It happened to me. I thought I would be so sad, because I knew how hard things get, and yet, I think I enjoyed better the second time I watch.

    This drama and Weather are my winter watches.

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      I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to rewatch 😅 But I loved the ride – even with all the pain

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        Ive always wanted to rewatch but never able to press that play button. So Much Crying yo! But y’all been talking about JBL so much recently.. i kinda miss it. WJA had an amazing debut with this one.

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          I always thought a rewatch would hurt so much, but in fact it was really rewarding. I can’t recommend it enough if you loved it the first time.

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    Oof how I love this drama! The instrumentals are on Spotify btw. The Sky is my favorite and probably the most iconic.

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    It’s such a good drama.

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    I watched it over a few weeks recently as my heart ached for all that sorrow. I felt wrecked but loved it. Hated that disgusting Chaebol heir with a passion. And Anupam’s cameo!
    One thing which I noticed was how much paler Junho’s already pale face was in the Drama even when he wasn’t yet sick. Was it intentional to show how difficult and precarious his existence was or just bad make up and lighting?

    Also, while I know the hiding the truth and not communicating trope is rampant in KDrama, we also hide a lot in RL. We minimise, obfuscate, ignore, lie and outright deny many emotions and truths. In RL, suffering writ large could be hidden in plain sight.

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      About Kangdu’s sickly appearance: guess they did all they could to make Junho look like crap – no small feat 😂
      But yes, you’re right. Irl suffering and difficult emotions are minimised and hidden all the time… Maybe that’s why this drama is so affecting: their interactions feel real

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        I have insomnia and communicating with you tonight has been the best part of my seemingly endless night so thank you for your humour, capacity for reflection and insights. I feel as though I have gotten to know you a tiny tiny bit more despite our online secret identities. Huhhuh. Take care!

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          Dang, I wasn’t expecting that! You made tear up. Hope you get some rest 💚

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