Who is the male lead in A Poem a Day? A looming question in order to protect this fragile fangirlโ€™s heart:

Few things to consider:
1) In Drinking Solo which is by the same production team, the male lead is an emotionally aloof technocrat, so is Dr.Ye (okay, this is true for practically all K-drama male leads, sigh)
2) Gong Myung who is the second male lead in Drinking Solo was originally offered the role of Shin Min-ho. Could the director want GM to reprise his puppy role here? Or couple years later GM with higher visibility now has been promoted to the male lead for this drama? (oh K-drama politics, this is no way for me to factually answer this so everything in my head is fake news!)
3) Lee Joon-Hyuk is on the top of the showโ€™s poster (Kimbapโ€™s desperate quest for truth rising per bullet point. Sad!)

Please give me a piece of your advice to locate the guiding light in order to survive this thick fog of potentially deadly shipping war.

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    I hope this drama won’t follow Reply series in this regard 😭 I believe Lee Joon-hyuk is the male lead but the question is if he will get the girl or not. I know what is more important the storyline, but as long as it is a romance drama, I need to know who the real OTP is, from the beginning.

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      Hear hear, @seraloves I wish I can be the cool cat thinking “oh it doesn’t matter, it is the journey that is the most important blah blah” but hey, I am human and have great capacity for empathy, so show, be kind! We are all just Crybaby Woo who are just trying to make it in your world.
      *shudders*

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    Hahaha I remain behind on eps 3&4, but I see whats happening. I can’t pick. But based on eps 1&2, I want it to be Ye. Romance is all about timing, and I’d like to think that the other guy has missed his chance. Please.

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      I usually dislike asses like Min-ho but the jerk is growing on me. Ye hasn’t given me anything yet to root for him. You know what would be an awesome curve ball!? If my crush Nam-woo got elevated to main role status and got the girl. Alas, this is K-drama land and such a thing may never happen.

      P.S. I know, there aren’t enough hours in the day but, please catch up so we can talk about it!

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        That would be one awesome curve ball!! I am really looking forward to find out more about Nam Woo. Shin Jae-Ha must have taken on this role because it has at least a little of meat in this role besides being the best friend of the second male lead, or the first? Is it the second? No it is the first. Second? First? Second? First?
        *channeling my own inner Radiologist Kim*

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          Seriously, when will Shin Jae-Ha get his lead role already? Preferably letโ€™s make it a slice-of-life fun little drama, and cast Kim So Hyun as the female lead, please!

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            That sounds well and good minus the Kim So-hyun part. I’m not her biggest fan given how young she is. Well…she’ll be 19 this year, so that’s not so bad any more I guess.

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            @cloggie @kimbapnoona – photographic memory? HAHAHA true… all this show is lacking is a genius. Oh wait, Dr. Ye.

            I bet he’s a dance genius. Just in the wrong profession because his parents insisted. If so, I foresee his story going down the follow-your-dream-arc. Adds another element of depth to the drama, you see.

            LOL @kimbapnoona – man idol dance is on another level. They really are professionals. Take it from someone who has only recently fallen into that rabbit hole, you do not want to go there. It’s beyond addictive.

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            I know sheโ€™s a bit young @hades, and I dunno if Iโ€™d dig a romance, but I absolutely adored the two in Page Turner and Iโ€™d like to see them in another drama where they could be friends

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          Can I just say that radiologist Kim & the kid that just started with him are my favourite characters? 😂😂 I can totally relate to the kid’s need for study breaks btw – I think he may be me. Do I have a second life somewhere?

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            This indecision may bug The Clash, but it is incredibly relatable to me..

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            I love this radiology odd couple and their bromance based purely on pity for one another but neither has any self-awareness (at least for now.) I want to take a study break with him and go to club to watch him dance. This kid has to have some kind of idol training!! I refuse to think anyone can dance like that without being coached.

            I have never seen Defconn before except his cameo in the Best Hit and he is sooooo good here.

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            @kimbapnoona – this kid does have idol training! ^^ His name is Park Sun Ho and it seems he was under Starship Entertainment, and was selected for a debut, but eventually they replaced him without someone else. Bio stolen from MDL: https://mydramalist.com/people/7066-park-sun-ho

            I love Defconn in Weekly Idol. ^^

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            Our love for the kid, Joo young Joo young never fades….cos we understand him …..

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            So part of me thinks that maybe the kid’s got photographic memory and that’s why he knows all the dance moves even after having watched a vid once, and that’s why he recognised the extra from Signal & Drinking Solo, and he only has to read the book once and then he’ll get all the answers right.

            Another part of me thinks he’s totally rubbish at studying and just watches drama and music all day, and practises his dance moves in front of a mirror for hours on end.

            I don’t know which one it is – and I don’t even know which version I’d be most sympathetic towards lol.

            Loving the bromance.

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            @cloggie Ooooh what a good theory of photographic memory! It never occurred to me that he might be the geeeeeenius in this drama 😂

            He is a little big of enigma at the moment…didn’t Radiologist Kim think he was getting all the English questions wrong on his practice TOEFL test?

            It is also hilarious that he thinks he can just bypass all the intermediate steps and directly onto a professor position at a University

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            @greenfields What is going in South Korea with all these expressive dance genes??? All these good looking boys can carry a tune an pull all the moves.

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            @Cloggie If he is the genius, does that mean he is also a competitor for potential love line with Bo Young?

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            Nah, @letseatcookies, there’s no need for another ship. But I’m intrigued to see how he’s going to fit into the story, other than having gone to the same college as Min-ho and Nam-woo

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            Comment was deleted

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            @cloggie I’m glad you cleared that up. Will continue to look forward to your theories because your comments keep me sane on our little ship.

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        Hehehe yes! It’s on the top of my to – watch list now that weekly K-pop fangirling is over. ^^

        Oh I look forward to seeing how his character can be made more appealling – essentially, he just needs to grow up and we’ll be rooting for him.

        Haha for all this Nam Woo love. 😂 IRL, he’d be so annoying, but in the show we love him!

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          I feel like this show knows exactly when to make these characters sympathetic.. They push me juuuust to the brink of disliking them or being annoyed and then thereโ€™s a little vulnerable scene and Iโ€™m back to coddling them.

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            Everyone except Dr. Park. He’s really just an ass by nature.

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            Dr. Park is an pretty assy @hades but the writer does make this ass acts not without understandable motivations. I would take this villain over “pure evil” any day.

            OMG am I defending Dr. Park? THAT would be a curve ball if he becomes the lead….a curve ball that flies around the stadium and makes its way back to home plate!!

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            Well, yeah @hades. But Iโ€™m on the edge on whether I can dislike him yet, because his motivations are clear, and Iโ€™m scared this dramaโ€™s gonna pull a Misaeng on me and make me full-on sympathize..

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            @bammsie His motivations to support his family are clear. His motivations to shirk responsibility at work are also clear. His motivations to feel better about himself at other people’s expense is also clear. As with real life, people like this can exist in the grey are of being just tolerable because you have to see and work with them. Since we already know his motivations, from my perspective, there’s very little they can do for me to like him other than him honestly trying to be a better person from now. I don’t see that happening though.

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            All good points, @hades. I suppose you can have all the motivations in the world and they still wouldnโ€™t justify being a jerk, since choices are up to the person..

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            @hades Well-put regarding Dr. Park!
            @bammsie

            I suppose you can have all the motivations in the world and they still wouldnโ€™t justify being a jerk, since choices are up to the person..

            I certainly can relate to that sentiment with a couple colleagues at work!

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          Yay!

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        It would be a funny curve ball if all the guys on the show end up crushing Bo Young and they all have to fight it out. LOL.

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      Just as Writer-nim is slowly peeling away the layers of misunderstanding between Min-ho and Bo-young through ep3 and 4 and finally letting some warmth peeks through Min-ho in the end of ep 4, I have now confidence that the writer can turn that character around aptly for us to fall in love with him in the end…..ooph, the hell with growth arc!!!

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        That’s the thing that makes me attached to Min Ho, the puppy is growing and I can’t let him go just yet.

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          It is amazing how strongly we feel and care for these characters already just 4 episodes in!!

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          Same! As much as I like Dr. Ye now I just canโ€™t let go of childish MinHo yet, heโ€™s my first choice after all.

          And this thread has 80+ comments already. 😄

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    Ok. I’m a bit confused by this post, but here’s my take on this drama.

    I don’t think it needs a male lead per say given the type of drama it is. I don’t like spoilers, so I knew nothing about this drama going in. If I were to guess, I would say that it my end up with something like Min-ho falls in love with Bo-young. Bo-young and Je-wook fall for each other. Bo-young eventually ends up with Min-ho al la Jealousy Incarnate or something.

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      Yes….I can totally see it….it is my fear..the last scene Dr. Ye walks away and continues to be good at his job somewhere else but Min-ho gets the girl. We the viewers have to then say something like “oh this is a slice-of-life drama and how true to life the ending feels…..we had some laughs and overall it is satisfying drama….” (this was what I felt about Drinking Solo as I remember vaguely.)

      Man, I am way too salty this early in the show for absolutely no reason. Down, girl, down!🐶

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    Hahahahahaha
    Iโ€™m currently torn between our guys but letโ€™s just enjoy the ride. Kidding! *in MinHoโ€™s voice*
    But seriously I canโ€™t choose :โ€™(
    Iโ€™m not making sense, am I??? 😂

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      @giegie0384 I think we all need the show to give us a little advice…..or just a hint, jebal!!
      Please don’t let the ending make us feel like we are being smacked by a fish on the head!!

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        Itโ€™s still early to tell anyway but yes, hopefully no nonsense ending for our ships.

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    This might be the first one for me that I won’t mind which guy Bo Young will pick because I’m completely torn, Bo Young is compatible with both of them

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    Iโ€™ve been thinking the same thing…and I was certain I was on the wrong ship until another Beanie informed me she was having SLS, for the other guy! We canโ€™t both be on the wrong ship, can we?

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      Hahaha, it is totally possible @ally-le. As @hades said earlier maybe the writer will give us a curve ball and Shin Jae-Ha will end up with the girl! 😂

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        Or Park Sun-ho. Cross-department love-in

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        Ha! I wouldnโ€™t think the kdrama writer would be that sadistic, but then there was Reply 1988.

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          True….very true…..Park Bo-gum was the 3rd boy in line, wasn’t he?

          Oh boy…..this is actually not unthinkable since Shin Jae-ha is an established actor, a very cute one to say the least, who totally can ascend to lead status here…..

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            Iโ€™m so confused now. I didnโ€™t watch the most recent episode and was about to drop it, but this thread makes me want to watch it just to see who the OTP ends up being.

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            Episode 3 and 4 made all the characters much more rounded therefore sympathetic and the cute chemistry between the leads and the radiology bromance made me fall in love with the show, @ally-le!

            It would be awesome to talk about it with you. Hope you keep on watching!
            *crossing fingers that the show will keep up with the promising exposition*

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      Are you referring to me?? hahahaha…maybe Bo Young ends up with no one. LOL

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    OK – here’s my take after watching 2.5 episodes: I don’t care who Bo-young ends up with, I just want her to be happy with someone and either one will do.

    But, having seen many kdramas by now, I’m conditioned by the following rules:

    Rule 1) girl and the guy she ends up with have to not like each other in the beginning
    This gives 1 Cloggie point to Min-ho because Dr Ye appreciates Bo-young from the start.

    Rule 2) girl and the guy she ends up with, have to meet in the first episode.
    This is a bit more blurred but I think I have to give 1 Cloggie point to Min-ho here as well, as Dr Ye was only in a few seconds of ep1

    Rule 3) From Drinking Solo I’ve learned that Puppy Crushes get…. crushed. That could mean that Bo-young’s crush gets crushed. Or maybe it means that Min-ho’s upcoming crush is going to get crushed. Or it means that….
    Never mind. I’m going to give 1 Cloggie point to Dr Ye based on this rule.

    Rule 4) When in doubt, check AsianWiki. The leads will be placed in order.
    This gives 1 Cloggie point to Dr Ye.

    Min-ho? No, Dr Ye. No, Min-ho. No, Dr Ye.
    It’s a draw!

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      Stalemate! ๐Ÿ˜€

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      @cloggie Damn you Kdrama rules! Stupid conditioning, re-conditioning, and left-field trope subversion.
      Love you, hate you, love you, hate you, love, hate, love, hate (how many people in the world seek counseling with this kind of ambivalence irl? 😂)

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        I think we would all fit in perfectly in the radiology department 😂

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      @cloggie Regarding the rules
      1
      ) So true, K-drama (so do I) loves the initial bickering dynamics between OTPs

      2) When writing this post I was trying to remember if there is any dramas that the male lead is introduced quite late compare to the second lead but cannot recall any

      3) It is hard to actually define who the puppy is in this drama in some ways……Min-ho looks like the puppy, but Dr. Ye might go full on puppy mode when he finds himself in love with someone whom he least expected to fall in love with……I concur in giving Dr. Ye the point just because he is the nicer to Bo-young.

      4) Thanks for the AsianWiki tip! 😂 As @seralovestteobokki points out in the thread that Lee Joon-hyuk is probably the lead, but whether the lead gets the girl in the end is the question of the day…..

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        2). In Reply 1988, Park Bo Gumโ€™s character was introduced in the first scene, but then you didnโ€™t see him the rest of the 1st and maybe even the 2nd episode? I totally would not have seen him with the girl. But broken and tragic as he was, he ended up with herโ€”so point to Dr. Ye here.

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      DAMN I was hoping to get an answer from your analysis Cloggie. WHYYYYY??? LOL

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    I am starting to think that Dr. Ye has the chance because
    * They both like each other-in majority of kdramas girl dumps the second lead because he somehow betrayed her. Dr Ye doesn’t seem like a type and Bo Young is too forgiving to make a scene because of something with little importance
    * He did had a less screentime and Minho has his oun circle of friends/we see his family but I don’t think it means that much as the same worked for Kibum and gongmyung in Drinking Solo
    *Minho doesn’t like poetry. He didn’t forget about it (as Dr. Ye did, when he forgot to answer Bo Young), he simply dislikes that. I don’t even think Bo Young so easly got over him because he rudely rejected her, it was mostly because those poetries gave him goosebumps and he honestly hated that.
    * Every episode ends with Dr. Ye
    *If I was a director and I had to choose whom to give a lead role it would be to Lee Joon Hyuk. He has more experience and recently had a few successful projects
    *I just want this ship to sale so that when MinHo confesses, Bo Young would answer with ” Me too. I am kidding”. Of course she would never do it, but I like to think about this possibility

    Now the reasons why my ship might sink:
    * We know too much about Minho and too little about Dr. Ye. How often do mysterious types end up being a first male lead? Unfortunately, they often end up being the killer 😑
    * My ships have the tendency of sinking

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      I love all of these, @nerdy. I want Bo-young saying “me too, just kidding” to Min-ho’s face. That would serve him right!

      I also thought it is a big clue proving that LJH is the lead when so far the episodes end with Dr. Ye. I got a little nervous seeing that Bo-young and Dr. Lee mutual feelings are coming a little too early in the show’s run, although Bo-young’s feeling toward Dr. Ye is really just pure admiration for her sunbae/supervisor/role model instead of romantic love, and Dr. Ye probably just thinks that she is cute a button (okay, that’s more how see her. So cute, so much goodness!!)

      In regards to Min-ho, I thought that since there were couple of misunderstandings about the past which have been cleared between Min-ho and Bo-young during this week’s episodes, Min-ho’s negative feelings for poetry might be a red herring. He might secretly be really moved by Bo-young’s daily gift of poetry but for some unexplained reason he is unwilling to admit it to Bo-young. And once that reason is revealed, we might all collectively lament with a long “awwwwww.”

      I actually think we the viewers not knowing too much about Dr. Ye as a good sign….that the writer is taking time to let the character develop. K-drama rule states that the OTP would come together around episode 11 &12 so we have plenty of time to get to know him…..but then that also means we have just as much time for Min-ho to grow into a respectable man. 😵😫😖 Ottoke?

      @bammsie @cloggie @greenfields @giegie0384 @ally-le @hades @seralovestteobokki @faraway
      @feenah9895

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        ๐Ÿคฏ I canโ€™t ever predict anything! Iโ€™m probably one of the most gullible people on the planet, so I really do not know. I can root for either ship at this point.

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        I have to tag @letseatcookies here too since we had an SLS discussion about this earlier!

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          I’m trying to not think about this whole SLS situation because it’s making me slightly crazy. I get easily attached to ships and I think I’m already on the Min Ho x Bo Young ship. I seriously blame Jang Dong Yoon for all of this.

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        I can’t recall which episode but on his way home, Min ho was actually looking at Bo young’s pic and was giggling… I think he likes her but for some unknown reason he is trying to hide it. But I’m afraid for him, by the time he confesses…..the Ye line is already sailing and has left the dockyard…..

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          I am not sure that if Min-ho is aware that he is more and more interested in Crybaby Woo even though Nam-woo keeps questioning why he is persistent in being around her when he declared that he didn’t want anything to do with her. Of course our boy keeps claiming that he is doing so because he enjoys seeing her physical comedy (I admit, she is pretty hilarious! Adorably hilarious!) So when he stares at that photo of drunk Bo-young falling into the cracks (because he pushed her no less!!) Min-ho might think that he is laughing at her but we viewers can see that he is all heart-eyed.

          Chop chop, boy, grow up to be someone worthy of our heroine!

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        After just two episodes, and all of these dicussions, I feel like I’m firmly on the Dr. Ye ship. It’s a little early yes, but for now I’m fairly decided. *eeks* should I be prepared to sink?

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          Me as well. I thought I was on the sinking ship from that first episode, but then I read all these theories and now I think Iโ€™m ok. Unfortunately, my bass player made a sweet move in Ep 4 and I may be jumping ships or at the very least have a foot in each!

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        I’m thinking (but I’m very often wrong!) that Dr Ye is married and that the scandal is that his wife (who’s also a doctor) was the one with the affair and that’s why he left the hospital.

        Not sure why I’m thinking that.

        And I’m also thinking hat Min-ho rejecting her in the past was based on something else too. Otherwise he was nice to her in the car etc and then rejected her on a hurtful way? So maybe there already was a misunderstanding at that point? Or maybe his parents already had a partner for him in mind?

        I guess it’s pretty clear which ship I’m on – but oddly enough I would be absolutely okay with being wrong. They can do a Go Back Spouses on me and show me why she should be with the other guy and I would be fine with that. I actually really like not knowing where this is going.

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          About Dr.Ye- This makes would make so.much.sense. geez. I like this version so much, it really would be total a plot twist.
          I doubt about Minho’s part. He isn’t the type to reject a girl because his parents had chosen someone for him. Also we have already seen that Minho actually used and manipulated Boyoung, so I doubt all his niceness was genuine. His rejection did seem rude but it was mostly brutally honest, except the part about Just kidding. This is more of a habit and I doubt at this point Minho even knows that there is something wrong with that. If writers go on this ship they would probably use one of the reasons you lised even though it would be too OOC

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            Yeah – I’m clearly just making excuses for Minho LOL.

            I trust that the writers will give him character growth, (you know: not have him roll on the floor in front of his parents in a toddler-type tantrum anymore – things like that) and he’ll become someone worthy of Crybaby.

            Or my ship will sink and burn. That’s possible too.

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            You come up with the best theories, @cloggie! Here is my spin on yours -Dr. Ye is divorced from his former wife who also worked at his previous hospital. Despite feeling deeply betrayed and hurt, he with so much decency decides to take the blame and protect her reputation even though it means for him to leave his job and works at a much lower profile and smaller hospital. His wife has regretted ever since therefore the repeated phone to beg him to return to her…..I am Ye-line so I hope there is emotional reconciliation but not getting re-married.

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            @nerdy It was an odd moment for me that Min-ho didn’t seem to remember that Bo-young did all those work for him until Nam-woo reminded him…is it just because he had done it so many times with people that he didn’t remember, is he just an ass, or this might be another misunderstanding (highly unlikely)?

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            @kimbapnoona, I don’t think it was that Minho didn’t remember that she’d done all that work for him, but more that he hadn’t fully appreciated that he’d been taking advantage of her then, just as much as Dr Park was doing today (or whoever it was that they were talking about).

            I won’t be too surprised if it turns out that Nam-Woo has been sabotaging their relationship all along. With that recording ‘by accident’ and telling everybody ‘by accident’. If his family hadn’t gone bankrupt 10 years ago, Bo-young would have wanted to go out with him instead ๐Ÿ˜›

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            @kimbapnoona I think Minho simply didn’t give it much thought? He is thoughtless and doesn’t think about consequences, he simply saw the opportunity to solve the problem with homework and used it.

            About Ye-line. There wouldn’t be worse ending than Dr. Ye getting back with cheater wife (if the theory is true). My ship sinking is one thing, but that would be too much.

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        I donโ€™t want to think about either ships but for now Iโ€™ll be sticking to my MinHo/BoYoung ship. 😁

        4
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    OMO–just finished Ep.4 and now I’m completely torn. Mr. Puppy vs. Mr. TDH (tall, dark, and handsome), let the games begin!

    2
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    Jang Dong-yoon, surely? I mean, it would be a classic drama writer move (especially the writer of Drinking Solo) to choose the retribution – with love – of a snotty boy, over a handsome man who truly recognizes her talent and appreciates her. Well, only time will tell.

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      True, true…..chaebol is not in a drama without reasons, right? On the other hand, geeeeenius ๐Ÿค”

      2
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        Despite the differences in personality between Shin Min-ho and our High Quality Trash, if the writers were to stick to the pattern they used there, he’ll definitely be the lead. If they wanna shake things up, it’ll go the other way. The guy who’ll turn you into a rehabilitation princess, or the guy who brutally rejected you? Decisions, decisions…

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      Please drama writers, pair Cry Baby with Dr. Ye, not chaebol boy. Probably wonโ€™t happen. The appearance of Ex GF of Dr. Ye doesnโ€™t bode well for him or the plot. Pleading to drama writer, donโ€™t use the Crazy Ex /Chaebol girl from hell trope card. The show is going along nicely, too many times the story goes off the rails and into a ditch during the second half.

      Park Sun Ho is a handsome lad. The two full time girls need some character enhancement or are they there just to snark on Cry Baby Woo ? I like the poetry.

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    Dunno who the romantic lead is, honestly. I wonder if the poetry in the poster can point us in some direction? According to translations on soompi:

    YE: โ€œYou have to look closely to find beauty.โ€
    Min Ho: โ€œYou have to look for a long time to love.โ€
    Bo Young: “You too.”

    Errr, it seems like Bo Young is speaking to both guys in the poster. To Ye about finding beauty, maybe because he lost faith in people. And she’s talking to Min Ho about learning to love. Ouch. There goes my Ye Line plank.

    1
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    Thank you for providing a wonderful thread.

    I would not like to see Minho getting Boyoung in the end. He is too immature. He needs Boyoung to grow up but that does not mean that he should get her. If she ends up with Minho, the couple would end up bickering each other constantly and Boyoung would keep taking care of him not because she loves him, but rather due to her obligation to clean up his immature acts( at least she would feel this way) and that is not a healthy relationship. I want to keep this drama as Minho’s grown up process but not his blossoming love story.
    I do know that this is not going to happen but Boyoung character would match well with Kim Dae Bang( a senior radiologist ). Both seem quite romantic and even though he might not like poems like she does, his SNS comments are quite peomy(?) and both are quite thoughtful human beings despite of their friends( collegues) constant teases. But I guess that the writer want to make Han Joo Yong his soulmate!

    1
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      I never thought about Bo-young/Dae-bang pairing! It makes a lot of sense actually…..so many ship options -Ye Liner, BoHo, the Crocodile, and now Dae-bang Dae-bang! 😆

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