[Drama 2017] Because This Is My First Life 이번 생은 처음이라

[lavender2love]

 

THE CLIFF HANGER..... !!! WELL ??

 

When you have friends who support you TO WANT IT...

 

 

MS COOL WOO  DEALING WITH THE WEASELS ...... I'm satisfied.

Next how about whipping out a XL bra and stuffing it into his jacket with the full size cup hanging out ? ....... !! Moron !!

 

 

 

 

[diesy]

And.. the plushie? anybody knows? I think I want one ahah

 

Btw, on another and stupid note:

at the bathroom scene I was sooo confused, I was laughing, thinking like a pervert:  

"threesome here!?!?" 

 

 

The voice at the beginning of the preview: is the ex's one? 

 

[cherryblossomkawai]

Ok just posting here quickly before finishing work. 

So many pages and posts to read and I don’t have time. I will read slowly every posts this week-end. 

 

I love episode 12 !!!

I completely understand why some of you are disappointed. Because this drama is different in a sense of pacing. Till episode 11/12, every episodes was a build up, a very good build up but then when come the pay up, you can always find people disappointed (even if you still like it) because they had expectations. 

Also I think it stems from SH’s character who is difficult to read. We still learn things about him. After all this is why we always surprised. 

 

Please don’t add to much posts, I won’t be able to keep up. 

 

Also i understand why I will never be an actress, like I won’t be able to be serious when filming JH’s fantasy of SH’s lips. Kudos to LMK. 

 

[meiil]

22 minutes ago, niniwu97 said:

 

Hehe same! I looked at the website but couldn’t access the asian store from my end! XD They are a beautiful pair of earrings, I am sure since the drama is quite popular in korea they will have a lot of affortable dupes~ I would love to own a pair of my own I will keep an eye out to something along the line for myself xD

 Gotta admit that JH’s wardrobe is full of pretty pieces. I find myself admiring her clothes/accessories a lot! 

[ninixo]

2 minutes ago, meiil said:

 Gotta admit that JH’s wardrobe is full of pretty pieces. I find myself admiring her clothes/accessories a lot! 

 

Gotta hand it down to the styling in this drama not only does JH is styled beautifully but so are HR and SJ. I love how with JH they style her simply (like her jackets,

dresses, shirts etc.) but the accesories add such elegance, class and beauty to her looks. 

 

The overall styling for this drama is pretty good imo. 

[fastheart]

In a way, SH is still the usual frugal SH in episode 12. Whoever thought of going to the office on the weekend just to get on the chair massager? 

[Carmarie]

I felt really bad for WS and HR when WS came to the conclusion they must break-up.  They really love each other; but they are not a couple. As SH pointed out to WS, "I want." WS loves HR, however he does not look at her as his other half.  It is as both of them are in a one-sided love.  HR has supported WS in his dreams; however, she does not fully understand his dreams.  HR is so focused on being married and having children, she never asked WS what he wants out of their relationship or marriage.  Does he want children?  I hope they are back together in the last episode; however, they need time away from each other.  If at the end they decide they really want each other then HR must make some compromises and WS must start to view her as "us, we and our."  I loved the scene where SH thought that BN was a stalker, when he put his hand out for JH, he said," Let us go home to our house', which meant he had already included JH in his life.

 

This drama is refreshing and I am loving it.   

 

Many of the 2017 romantic K-dramas have been enjoyable and well-written.  There are a few dramas that I would recommend viewing this year. The writers are starting to write dramas about life in today's society and not as it used to be.  Everything changes, nothing remains the same and finally K-dramas are changing also.  I hope they never lose the respectful way they present love and relationships; however, I am glad to see dramas that are more realistic and present today's POV.

[roseeflower]

Well i feel like I’m also in the minority but I really liked episode12. We finally get to hear sehee’s point of view and during the episode we saw him trying to come out of his heart breaking past on his own. Yes, we still don’t know the whole picture about what exactly happened between him, his father and Jungmin that leads the latter to brutally ask him to be miserable his whole life but the fact that he now, in the present time, wants to move on and admitted to himself that he grow fond of Jiho and wants to be happy with her is enough to show that his wife took over his heart and he wants to break free from any kind of punishment he is putting himself through.

After the sunset kiss, Sehee smiled more around Jiho, secretly took pictures of her, gave her a sweet praise about her beauty that she looks the same with or without make up. Being a frugal person that he is, he didn’t hesitate to go and buy an expensive gift for her, spending money on her (only kitty had that kind of privilege before) he even tried to win a snail plush while going through the embarassment of being a loser at darts game in public  just to give her a stuffed animal that she likes. In the last scene he asked her to come and sleep on the same bed because he wants to be close to her. Step by step he is getting there  Also in the preview sehee will prepare omurice for her, i understand some are disappointed because it feels like we missed a step or two by not getting the typical confession scene in kdrama but to me all this small gestures shows that he loves her too, is just that Jiho is the type who wears her heart on her sleeves so it's easy to see what she feels while sehee’s actions are more revealing about his heart than words.

One more thing i really really loved this little sweet moment 

[chardonnay]

Does anyone think there is any symbolism behind SH giving star earrings as a gift to JH? I looked back at Episode 9, and there were 2 scenes when they were walking home, first one JH states there are no stars, second time, as she skips ahead, saying that there were lots of stars in the sky, and the Big Dipper!! SH appears confused, because the sky is dark. Curious if there could be any meaning behind the gift. 

[rembrandtz_5e20]

28 minutes ago, fastheart said:

In a way, SH is still the usual frugal SH in episode 12. Whoever thought of going to the office on the weekend just to get on the chair massager? 

That was some good PPL man.

[shedp]

25 minutes ago, fastheart said:

In a way, SH is still the usual frugal SH in episode 12. Whoever thought of going to the office on the weekend just to get on the chair massager? 

I honestly thought he purposely went there so he could have a reason to go home together/accompany JH even on a weekend just like what they do on weekdays. If it was the old SH, he wouldn't go to such lengths of visiting the office. Because he's a more of a stay-at-home guy on weekends and will just lay on his bed or couch to rest his ached body while he watches soccer and pets kitty. Imo, It just that WS came and told him about his date so he decided to have one too.

[enigmatic_zephy]

25 minutes ago, chardonnay said:

Does anyone think there is any symbolism behind SH giving star earrings as a gift to JH? I looked back at Episode 9, and there were 2 scenes when they were walking home, first one JH states there are no stars, second time, as she skips ahead, saying that there were lots of stars in the sky, and the Big Dipper!! SH appears confused, because the sky is dark. Curious if there could be any meaning behind the gift. 

yup..the moment i saw stars..i was reminded of no stars in the sky scene.. when he couldn't see one.. she was seeing many

so i guess he associates her seeing stars with her being happy..

 

because she was so chirpy both times..and happy.. like definitely not angry or sad

[8mel]

12 hours ago, kimnabong said:

Ji Ho and Se Hee, My normal but priceless couple
For Se Hee, I agree that the stopping the door from closing is a positive thing. For people who have truly loved and have been profusely hurt in a magnitude as that SH has experienced before, trying again will never be easy, hardly possible. So, ensuring that Ji Ho's door won't close on him is about as stupendous as when he ran up the hill to save her from Bok Nam. I initially thought that he was doing this because he didn't want to feel alone that night, but after having watched with subs, i realized that it was actually a leap of faith. It was laid with certainty. For thinking individuals like SH, doing that isn't a spur of the moment decision, it's a conscious want and need to continue pursuing JH. It's exactly like when he decidedly planned to plant a kiss. This isn't SH backing down, it's SH dropping all the baggage of the past to enter a new life with Ji Ho.

In fact, I think that strength of this drama lies precisely in that: that love blooms just as beautifully in the most common situations and it can be just as profound. This is why WS and HR's relationship is always at the other end of the fulcrum because theirs is something impassioned, something that started like most loves do and went through the typical trajectories of most relationships... and yet it's failing because relationships aren't supposed to be just about milestones, it's about becoming together and being one. Ji Ho and Se Hee got the sequencing mixed up but they're handling the becoming "one" part well enough. 
 

 

I'm sorry to cut your post but i read every words and i agree with all of them. 

Sometimes the most extraordinary love can happen in the most ordinary way and it can be as special.

 

 

5 hours ago, hannajo said:

Then, once in a while, a brave soul comes and rocks the boat, forcing the INTJ to put down the shield or wall that he has built around himself, usually when he least expects it. I believe for Se-hee, Ji-ho was this person. While watching episode 12, and even after (when I was thinking about it), I unconsciously teared up because I could relate to Se-hee so much. Like him, I also experienced a bad ending to a relationship with someone I almost married. That person hurt me so badly I ended up remaining single for 9 years now. The difference between Se-hee and me was that I was happy for most of the 9 years and I am still happy now. And I was also the first one to walk away from the relationship in the end, unlike Se-hee. But I still felt a pang watching Se-hee sitting in that cafe, sobbing. It felt like I was watching myself, 9 years ago. 

 

A scary thing about INTJs is when they decide to love, they love hard. Why? Because INTJs are extremely goal-oriented. Once an INTJ acknowledges the entry of a potential romantic relationship, it means .he lines it up as one of the long-term "goals" in his life. I totally cracked up watching ep 13's preview showing Se-hee's daily log pertaining to Ji-ho. That's such an INTJ way of approaching love. Travelling 4 hours to work on kimjang for 6 hours? To an INTJ, it's all worth it for the goal.

 

So from my perspective, I have no doubt Se-hee loves Ji-ho wholeheartedly and he has loved her for awhile now. He might not show it, or he might express his love differently from others, but so far I think his character development has been consistent. Although I do understand why his falling-in-love process may appear abrupt to some. 

 

Appreciate you sharing a brief of your personal experience here. I am not like him (definitely not the intellectual part haha) at all so it's interesting to know the perspective of someone who can relate to SH's personality. It makes me understand the character better. 

 

 

I was backtracking and I enjoy reading the discussions here because i can see different perspectives from different people. In my opinion this drama certainly not perfect but it has been great and I am still enjoying it. Although I'm eagerly waiting for the next episode, I feel bad that we only have 4 episodes left. 

 

[meiil]

@Jillia no need to clarify much, friend, everyone if free to have their own opinion and agree to disagree.  All cool.

[ahhhjummahhhjo]

Disclaimer: BARELY slept. Again. Obsessing over this drama is not healthy for me. LOL. First thing I did when I woke up (from restless sleep) was... watch Ep 12 subbed. Again. Watched it before I went to sleep. Watched it raw yesterday. So First Lifer fam, please be patient with my rambles. Thank you and you rock. 

 

I take back what I said. About my misgivings about Episode 12. 

 

If ever I posted about the cutesy stuff as an abrupt shift in their dynamic, I admit that I was wrong. Very. 

 

If anything, I like the progression. Of course, the drama is not perfect (but... in my mind, very close.) and I'm sure everyone had seen dramas wherein nothing happens then BOOM, second to the last episode OR WORSE last episode we get bombarded with sugar sweet moments. 

 

I also love the progression of their hand-holding. From the Wedding, to the Rescue, to the Date. 

 

Agree with @hannajo's MBTI comments and thank her for sharing her personal experience! I've had a boss who is of the same category. He did say that it isn't that Introverts are socially withdrawn, it's that they prefer socializing at a certain pace. That being with a group is fine but they need to recharge alone after. It drains them. We saw this in early Se Hee enjoying his box lunch and admonishing Ma Sang Gu on the phone about how hard it is being with them for a week. 

 

But back to Se Hee's feelings and expression of affection. 

 

It was building up from Ep 1. Even if they weren't involved yet. I know I've said this before that he is deliberate with whom he engages with. He could have easily let Ji Ho go after the back-slapping, inadvertent rejection, he could have walked away from the bus stop and made an excuse (he could have even been perfectly rude about it, too. She is still a stranger.) 

 

He started opening the door from the moment he asked her about Arsenal. 

 

There were so many opportunities for him to just walk away, politely decline, close the door of his life on her. Se Hee drawing the line at "Woori" was his attempt to defend himself. 

 

But as we've all seen, he's pretty much defenseless against the onslaught of Ji Ho in his life, mind, and heart. 

 

But beyond Ji Ho, another thing that captured his heart, I feel was Ji Ho's family. Starting with her mom. That he saw how, despite their own dynamics that they felt like a family. 

 

I saw that continued gratitude in his eyes when Ji Ho's drunken Dad was telling them to be careful of cars and wars. And the important line here is "If war breaks out, the first target will be Seoul so come straight here!!!" 

 

Remember the line about tenant-landlord? Se Hee, in that fight with his father, felt he had no father. He had no home. 

 

Years later, here he was. Being welcomed by his new family. And his new family worries about him and his well-being. We haven't seen enough of that from his family. 

 

You could see the gratitude and longing. And for Ji Ho to step in and call him her "groom" and defend him, you could see that warmth and pride spread across his face. 

 

* * *

 

Not surprised that they were awkward after the kiss. It's a tricky situation (The phrase, are we or aren't we? comes to mind) and pretty much a waiting game on each other. Very glad that Se Hee stepped up. I almost thought he'd take Ji Ho's outburst of "There's nothing I want to do today!!! (sub-text... except of course... ahehehhehehehehehehhehehehhe) as a rejection and suggest that they go home. Glad he took her out on a date. (The lips though. arghhhhh)

 

Ehem. Anyway, not surprised that he splurged on Ji Ho either. We've seen him spare no expense on Kitty. It's about time he spared some expense on Ji Ho. 

 

* * *

 

Though I was initially blown away by the Jeong Min's presence (like the difference between her and Ji Ho is strikingly apparent in the way they carry themselves. Great acting. I can't do it justice with words. ), I have since gotten over her being in the drama. I think she's not a threat to the OTP's love but rather, she is more of a threat to Se Hee's confidence to loving someone fully and not hurting someone. 

 

* * *

 

According to the subs I watched, Se Hee pretty much admitted to Won Seok that he had feelings for Ji Ho. Is this correct? 

 

* * *

Final thought - LMK is the king of microexpressions for me. The last few scenes--and we've seen him with adoration on his face for Ji Ho...  I saw the apprehension. I saw the same expression he uses when he is about to close himself off to anyone. His expressions were getting more and more apparent and open but after the post-it, you could see his struggle. To be honest, even his door-grabbing face (but traitorous eyes... going back and forth from Ji Ho's lips-eyes-lips-eyes) was still a bit harsh. I've seen him softer. But I think... it was still a reflection of the internal tug of war between his heart and mind, and his past and his present. 

 

And in that moment, he made a decision. You can see the resolution all over his face. There was still tension. I believe that he took a step towards his happiness. And another step into another possible future with Ji Ho. 

 

For their first time.

 

[shedp]

10 minutes ago, Jillia said:

You can have a cute date without acting like you're in highschool. I don't find them relatable at all. Except for the restaurant part. Yes I thought it was cute with Ji-ho being better in playing darts. But the overall feeling to ME is not like two people in their 30s are dating. If it's good and perfect for your that's great. Just don't expect everybody else to feel the same.  

Hmm you do have a point, I came to realize that it is actually true. I am now imagining people in their 30's playing darts and carrying such a huge plushie while holding hands so happily. It looks really weird and awkward.  The difference with most people in their 30's are that they look more mature physically and have a more 'married-parent like vibes, while these actors look very young and fresh that's why the activities they did suit them and still did look cute.  I honestly overlooked the reality here, coz I'm so concentrated with analyzing their thoughts and actions and the reason behind it. Hmmm, these baby-faced actors can really manipulate and fool us. 

[Snowz123]

18 hours ago, Jillia said:

I think many misunderstand me and my thoughts (can't speak for everybody in this thread). I know exactly where Se-hee is standing right at this moment. I know he is committed to Ji-ho. When I'm reading between the lines and read his actions and even a couple things he said, I know exactly where he stands with Ji-ho. At the same time the drama doesn't the best job to make a transition from pre-kiss Se-hee to post-kiss Se-hee. It doesn't take away my enjoyment for the kiss. Certainly would never want them to take it back. But it's still some rough writing there.

 

But I don't think he is playing Ji-ho or plans to run off with his ex-girlfriend, never thought of Se-hee that way and never will. I know who he is and what type of person he is. When he loves, he loves completely. If he commits to something, it's forever. Hence why he is such a good friend to Sang-gu. If he would miss any empathy I'm pretty sure he would work from an home office - not a open working space - and be friends with Sang-gu for over 10 years.

 

At the same time the voiceover is showing he is still suffering from what his ex-girlfriend told him to do: not to be happy and not to fall in love again.

 

It's something that damaged him somehow. And that's why I want the confrontation with his ex-girlfriend, so they both can move on - if she didn't already. Se-hee certainly doesn't think of his ex-girlfriend that way anymore but she was his first love and he can't erase that for Ji-ho. And Ji-ho accepted him and his fragile heart coming to her. She can't expect a 38 year old man to have her as his first love for the romantic aspect of the story. I mean they still have the fateful kind of love. That she became his roommate who had the best score in his statistic despite being a woman. Lucky, he thought Ji-ho was a man. Lucky for both of them.

 

But I still believe while the episodes itself feel polished in the overall picture it's not as smooth as the beach kiss. So to speak.

 

I asked a friend of mine to start watching the drama and tell me about her thoughts and feelings. She usually doesn't watch kdramas, mostly Western tv shows, but from time to time when I tell her something is good she is giving a try. And even she said that the transition from 10 to 11 to 12 for Se-hee is a bit harsh. So if she says something like that as a casual viewer that's telling tbh.

 

I just want everything to be much smoother and I want to understand Se-hee's change of heart. Not everything needs to be between the lines but I also don't need Pathos. It's not much I'm asking for.

 

You really really spoke my mind! It's like you went into my brain and took what I couldnt express well and articulate those thoughts beautifully! Felt like crying, lols so drama. Initially I was quite reluctant to voice my thoughts as many of you have so many mixed reviews, some love ep 11-12, some didnt etc. I felt like if I were to speak my mind it will be like throwing cold buckets of water to raving fans. I can't stressed enough how much I love the drama till ep 10, even though the scenes were all so ordinary yet it packs a lot of emotional punch. Specially felt more for the non romantic scenes, eg the scene where Ji Ho is in the tunnel, the growth and dreams of the leads and Ho Rang's red coat scene. Felt like a punch to the gut watching as those are some of the facts I'll never want to face it because it was harsh and true yet this drama articulated it so well it felt like relieving some burdens in my heart.

 

Please do bear with me if this post is long and I have a lot of personal thoughts that may sound like i keep talking about myself. I've been trying to withold myself from posting since page 150 until I finish ep 12. I won't repeat what you have said, but I really agree with you when you said the transition was harsh. Honestly, for someone that watches it live without subs from ep 3- ep 10 without fail , I was quite frustrated with myself when I suddenly lost the enthusiasm in ep 11. I actually patiently waited for the subs to come out! I wonder, since when i lost that excitement that I didnt even bother watching it live?  Why wasn't I that excited anymore for someone that watches each episode at least thrice? I'm not complaining when Se Hee turned affectionate but I wish the drama would show us how he reached the stage where he is right now. Like you said, I don't doubt that he loves or maybe have interest in Ji Ho but there wasn't enough insight of it in previous episode. Of course, we can always read between the lines but we weren't even given a proper smile prior to his jaw dropping smile when Ji Ho visited! Yes, you can always interpret it as caring/ affectionate actions in some scenes eg the hand grabbing from BN or when he was making sincere promises to mom. But up to ep 10, there wasn't any concrete evidence that shows him liking her as the opposite sex. Or maybe there weren't suppose to be any, maybe the writer wanted it to pop out as a surprise in ep 11 when Sang Gu revealed that Se Hee know it all along. All in all, I just wish that we can have tiny glimpses of Se Hee falling for Ji Ho, just like what they did to Jung Pal in Reply.  

I'm really sorry if this post sounded so much like a rant/complain. I never intent for it to be like that. Was just scrolling after watching at 1am and decided that i can' t stand it anymore. Glad I'm not the only one who felt like that. Nevertheless, it is still one of the best dramas I've ever watched, and like some of you've said, I just want to point out some flaws of the drama.(the harsh transition)

 

Till then xxxxxxx all first lifers! Glad that we have such a wonderful discussion going on here. 

[Ondine]

10 minutes ago, Jillia said:

Btw I'm apparently the only one who noticed Se-hee and Ji-ho actually addressed the kiss in episode 12. When they come back home and Se-hee tells her to wash up first, he says "I really liked the beach" and she responds "I liked the beach as well". This was the only moment in which old Se-hee and Ji-ho talking were back. They actually said in their own way that they liked the kiss. 

 

That totally flew over my head. I need more words! Direct words! 

 

Your remark about Ji Ho being "the purest girl on earth" somehow reminded me of the scene where she was taking off her makeup and she remembered Jung Min putting the earring on her, and she apparently called herself a "pervert" (was that the word she really used?) for being "charmed" by a woman. I didn't get the point of having her basically say that women who are attracted to other women are perverts, but it was definitely not a good look. 

[xxPeepsxx]

A thought suddenly popped up in my head: 

 

I'm looking forward to the day SeHee realises that his wife is pregnant. And the ensuing freak out because that'll mess with his mortgage pay-back plans. Majorly.

[Snowz123]

21 hours ago, allegramente said:

As I read previous pages, I realise the mood dropped because of the possibility of the ex rocking the boat (ship). I have no problem at all. Se-Hee is finally ready to confront his past and move on.

 

 

 

I think when we met Se-Hee for the first time, he was in his 'noble-idiocy' mode. Thank goodness, he's done with it circa week 5. As his personality has shown, once he has decided on something, like embracing this happiness, he won't back out. It's Ji-Ho inflicted with the noble-idiot virus that I'm worried about. Would there be a title "Because this is my first broken heart?"  Let's hope not.

 

 

 

This really made my day. I am sure Jeong-Min knows Se-Hee has got married and must be curious about his new wife. It would make the "beautiful" remark, when she helps with the other earing (symbolism? that Ji-Ho listens to both sides of the story?), take on a different meaning.

 

I don't think Jeong-Min is still resentful after 12 years. She seems mature and it looks like she treasures the memory. I hope time heals her as well.

 

I actually thought that the scene where Jung Min put on the earrings for Ji Ho symbolises her helping the couple to further strengthen their relationship. Like you can almost hear the invisible clasp of the earrings when she put it on. Like her nailing the final nail to the coffin, aka the marriage? Lol, sorry, maybe its a bad symbolism haha.