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

[VanillaSalt]

4 hours ago, ddeokbokkii said:

 

Ah!, I'm guessing that you're not Asian. I think it's time for someone to explain this bit
about Asian culture. Especially to those people who are not familiar with it. Most Asian
families are very traditional and conservative. For an unrelated man and woman to live
under the same roof before marriage is considered taboo in Asian culture. In Western
countries, it's common for couple to living-in together before marriage. But, this is a big
"no no" in most Asian countries. Asian families are very strict against these type of living 
arrangement. This is the very reason why he proposed to her the fake marriage, so they can 
continue living under the same roof together. I hope this helps those of you who are not 
familiar with Asian culture to understand some of the thing that going on in this drama.

Her friend(Ho Rang - I think) that living with her boyfriend, I don't think her family know that

she is living-in with her boyfriend. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

This is common in Latino families as well, even if they're engaged or going to have a baby or something, the couple still is looked down upon if  live together.  However, I do agree @nubianlegalmind that her family is really oppressive and slightly negligent of her problems. I understand that the family patriarcal and unbearable to live with, but if you didn't want your daughter to go to this resort and live with another man then maybe they should have at least been more supportive of her. If the brother and wife didn't really want her to leave, then they could have been more considerate of how they act in the bedroom when she's around. They're married, yes, but they also have a housemate that is the only one paying rent and keeping the house in check. It's rude of them to disrespect her wishes/ be obnoxious when she politely asks them not to. 

But i guess if they did  that there wouldn't be a story to write or the drama would be like 6 episodes lol. 

(i hope this made sense lol im really sick) 

[Lmangla]

7 hours ago, denny said:

I also expect SH's hair style to undergo a renaissance.

kekeke... this cracked me up as I imagined what would happen to his hair. hahahahha.. but usually the hair cut follows some kind of trauma or time leap or some revenge plot. not necesararily when they fall in love right? chingus, haven't seen rom-coms in a while and so please correct me -- are we having hair style for hearts falling in love as well?

 

5 hours ago, Dramanoona said:

JH and SH may be having the most practical reasons for marriage but I think they will have the most fun time trying to figure out where they stand in the marriage. To get things moving, perhaps it's time for more skinship. LOL.

am looking forward to a lot of fun rationalizing on how this skinship occurred and more random football explanations like offside to explain a stolen kiss. hahahah... maybe the two of them would fall and a kiss would occur and he would explain it the way it happens when players trip while trying to score a goal?

[valentvcd]

So if offside is stolen kiss then a goal means having baby  

[Lmangla]

 

 

9 hours ago, nubianlegalmind said:

Her family is so oppressive towards her.

hmmm, wouldn't call it oppressive but more like negligent. if it was truly oppressive, she wouldn't go home. however, she knows that she always has a place to return to and the only reason she doesn't want to go back is her own pride etc... and I keep thinking about how she is lost among her own friends. they are all so busy with their own drama that there is no moment for her to tell her own big life changing event -- she is getting married! so within her own circle, she fades into the background. and so even if her brother was instead a sister, his personality would still drown her out. (there are lots of daily dramas that show that kind of relationships... )

 

tried to go back a few pages to find out who it was that mentioned how sweet it was that the dad sat there with bags of buns waiting outside her uni and i would have to agree with that poster that it was really sweet. and thats what strikes me about the family. because it isn't a melo, this is not as black and white. just like real life. hahahaha... and even though he is quite patriarchal, he dreamed of her becoming a lawyer (something that tends to be more male dominated). instead, she chooses literature (which usually has more females studying that subject). so he didn't think that because she is a girl, she can't do law. instead, he dreamed big for his child. of course, she had her own dreams and so chose her own way. but it is not like he cut off relationship with her or that she is no longer welcome at his home because she made her own path. are they disappointed? maybe. but parents are people too and they too have aspirations and dreams for their kids right?

 

1 hour ago, Jillia said:

There was no scolding of the son, no consequences for being reckless and impregnating a woman without being financially secure. No, the father celebrated it while the mother didn't say anything at all but she didn't look happy either.

just to play devil's advocate, the parents were already aware that he was living with this girl and she was pregnant. it wasn't a surprise to them. only to her... so we don't know how they initially reacted when he told them of the living arrangements...

[Lmangla]

21 minutes ago, Jillia said:

True. But that doesn't make it okay that they didn't care much about their daughter.

kekeke... so I watch a lot of makjang and melos and so I wouldn't rate these two as bad parents at all. hahahha... and neither would I say they don't care. they do but they are more distracted by their son. and it does happen in real life too that sometimes, for whatever reason, one child eclipses the attention from the other. maybe one is a super brat and doesn't study. so the studious one is a no problem child and they don't see what is going on. stuff like that. but it doesn't mean that the other child is loved less.

if they didn't care, the father would be more like "good riddance" when it comes to see hee marrying his daughter. instead, there is a surge of protectiveness (whether it is misplaced or not) on whether ji ho is being ripped off by this man they don't know. thats how I read their reaction to them living together -- was ji ho in a situation where she is vulnerable to being ripped off without getting any legal and societal benefits as a wife?

since it is neither melo or makjang, just see the parents as okay -- neither good nor bad. they do care but the way they display isn't very good.....

[bedifferent]

New stills... on the way at the bus stop.   @sakura2016 his gaze 

 

 

Spoiler

Source: imbc

 

@stroppyse My take on The Graduate poster is that it reflects Ji-Ho's free spirit.  She's a dream chaser... she ran away to Seoul National Uni to follow her dream of being a writer. Lots of writers get on the bus out of small town not knowing if they will make it big but are willing to take the unknown heads on.  Isn't that what the Anne Bancroft/Dustin Hoffman were doing impulsively?

 

In the last scene of them running to get on the bus in wedding clothes.  Once they got on and settled, they are left wondering the next step, the what now... the future?

 

@Lmangla @shedp Thank you for the explanation/analogy about the snail!  Love what you wrote shedp. I wonder if the generation after us will ever have the same concern about owning a home.  It has become less and less of a bucket list item, part due to its financial burden, part is from how we all view what the house represent.  Is it supposed to represent our home or is it just something for our generations to measure success and wealth by?  For SeHee and JiHo, it's their oasis.

 

 

[Lmangla]

37 minutes ago, Jillia said:

Well melos and makjang are exactly that an exaggeration. But by any means I don't want to say that I see them as terrible parents but they are not great parents either.

 

And as I said in my previous posts the family dinner showed me a glimpse of the father actually caring. And I thought it was interesting he made such a fuss about Se-hee when he actually didn't care much who his son is marrying. So I know they hold some type of love for their daughter but they're lacking in many other aspects.

 

My point is: I don't hate them because I know they could be worse but I won't praise them either.

LOL... am of the view that sometimes melo and makjang are a saner version of life.

here's my ode to makjang dramas. LOL

Spoiler

http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/07/changing-tastes-real-life-is-sometimes-more-bizarre-than-makjang-dramas/

kekkeke.. that said, would agree with your last point. when I put myself in the shoes of the parents, here's the thoughts that came to me. so your kid knocked up some girl but at least he is taking responsibility for the woman and child. he isn't running off and being irresponsible. so they reluctantly are okay with it. since he is not yet financially independent, his solution is to stay in his sister's place. the parents don't look well off and so it is not like they can set up another unit for the son and his family but they are still the ones who are providing for his expenses.

 

the good thing is they weren't expecting ji ho to work and provide for her brother and his family as well. instead, the compromise is to potentially share the apartment. since the mom knows ji ho would not be comfortable, she chips in to get ji ho another place but has no idea of how expensive seoul is. since ji ho is financially independent, it makes more sense for her to move out if she wants to. at no point do her parents or her brother suggest she move out or she provide for her brother. she is free to make her own decisions and her brother has enough sense to feel guilty that she leaves. 

 

so stuff like that makes me think that they aren't terrible people. am reminded of this line from an old drama where the guy says that parents are just people who make mistakes before we become adults. so meaning they too are human and are not perfect.

[lclarakl]

11 hours ago, nubianlegalmind said:

Quick episode 4 thoughts...

 

Her family is so oppressive towards her. I was beside myself with her father and brother acting all shook about them living together. Umm, excuse me, but brother dear has a live-in wife with a shotgun baby on the way. At least JH has a degree and a career and so does SH. Does her sister-in-law even work? The hypocrisy was suffocating.

 

Her poor friend! Let this be a lesson, if you call yourself an adult, be able to communicate what you want in a relationship. She knows he is still working towards a better life. She knows that them living together has created all kinds of red flags. He has gotten comfortable, she has too, but that comfort has kept them from progressing like most couples. Here he is about to get into more debt buying her a couch she wouldn't shut up about and it was an analogy for marriage. *sigh* Most men aren't that smart.

 

The corporate friend is such an inspiration. Even she mentioned that she wished the other friend had goals outside of marriage. It hit me then, that a LOT of women are afraid of becoming their mothers, aunts, grandmothers, and other women they watched growing up. Meanwhile, Ji Ho is sitting on a landmine. She IS getting married. LOL! And it is an arrangement that both of her friends could probably understand. I think this drama is also tackling the marriage issue in Korea right now. Millennials in Korea aren't getting married like generations before them. Most can't afford to get married, like the couch friend. Others have chosen to focus on their careers like the corporate friend. Frankly, what JH and SH are doing makes a lot of sense. They get along well, they share the same ideas on spending and living, but they have chosen to not allow love to cloud their arrangement. 

 

 

I actually had a different view of the father and brother's reaction about JH living with SH. A lot of fathers are this way, even in the Western world.  There is a different standard for boys than girls. In a boy, to be with a woman he's a "man".  However, fathers do not want a man with their daughter; they're a little more protective. Also, father's don't want their daughter's to be seen as 'easy'.  

 

I see the writer creating a contrast between the 3 women that reminds me of Goldie Locks and the Three Bears...."this porridge is too hot, this porridge is too cold, this porridge is just right/ this chair is too soft, this chair is too hard, this chair is just right, etc.".  Can you guess which one of the friends matches each porridge?  

 

"Too soft/too hot" - The "poor" friend, I will call the "want to get married friend" because I don't think of her as poor, but just someone in love with the idea of marriage; she is the too hot/too soft when it comes to life. She enjoys life, but her focus is not overly career minded, she just wants to marry. She wants to marry so much that, as it was mentioned earlier, she sees her boyfriend as a tool--a means to an end; he's an object for her to reach her goal...marriage/motherhood.

 

"Too hard/too cold" - The corporate friend. She is so blinded by wanting to be successful that she's lost her center. Her life is dictated by her CEO; when he says come she goes even though she doesn't feel like it. Putting on the fake smile even when she wants to cuss. Acting full of energy, even when she's bone tired. She doesn't wear a bra while wearing a thin white shirt because she can't drink as much..something that is a habit for her and shocking to her friend. She doesn't care that people can see her breast as if she wasn't wearing a shirt at all. She has casual sex with men she doesn't know (I'm hoping that's not the case; I'm sure we'll hear more about room 303 and why she's keeping that condom that I'm beginning to think belonged to SH's friend....sentimental?).  She comes across as a lonely person who doesn't feel she's worthy of love and therefore going to focus on the emptiness and loneliness of being a successful boss of a big corporation while keeping her emotions at bay.

 

"Just right" - JH is just right to me. She's not willing to sacrifice herself for a job by being harassed by a co-worker. Her job is not so important that she's going to allow herself to be disrespected. She's also not consumed it the idea of being married. However, because she's not overly consumed with either, things are naturally falling in place for her. She's not giving up her goal of being a writer, but taking another means. She's not dating anyone, but at the same time is slowly falling for SH. I also love the fact that she speaks up for herself.

 

I think there will be a lesson for all women in this drama, but I like each of them because they represent life.

[jongski]

10 hours ago, denny said:

We are way overdue for this romcom.   We haven't had a Korean series as enjoyable, quirky and funny as this in a long time. I'm looking forward to the inevitable romantic development and I expect the ride to be as good as the first four episodes.  I also expect SH's hair style to undergo a renaissance.

Yup Denny. I think OHY was good too based on what viewers had to say but haven't watched that rom-com. You want SH new hair style? Like how?  How he looks is kind of how his character is. But yeah, if there's a changed hair style it means change personality. 

 

OT:  by the way, you can check jdoramas - you get those quirky, funny, different kind of characters.  Dean Fujioka has a new jdorama -  you may wanna check out that one.

[rembrandtz_5e20]

Have been rewatching EP1-4 and my wish is to have JH's parents visit them and stay for the night in future episodes. Just to see...

 

1.SH Vs FIL Round 2 (we all know who won the 1st round! Keke)

2.SH freaking out at the thought of sleeping in the same room as JH

3.SH living up to the promise that he will not let JH touch a drop of water (aka housework). *evil laugh* 

 

Dear dramagods, please let it come true!

 

[Dramanoona]

Loving the football analogies!

GOAL!

 

Sidenote: Jeon So Min is sooooo pretty!

[sakura2016]

5 hours ago, bedifferent said:

New stills... on the way at the bus stop.   @sakura2016 his gaze 

 

 

I love how different he's gazes are now!!  he may not realise it and have many logical reasons to put as explinations but we can see that he's falling for her!!  

 

3 hours ago, rembrandtz_5e20 said:

Have been rewatching EP1-4 and my wish is to have JH's parents visit them and stay for the night in future episodes. Just to see...

 

1.SH Vs FIL Round 2 (we all know who won the 1st round! Keke)

2.SH freaking out at the thought of sleeping in the same room as JH

3.SH living up to the promise that he will not let JH touch a drop of water (aka housework). *evil laugh* 

 

Dear dramagods, please let it come true!

 

 

hhhhhhhhhhh now I want that too!!  poor Se Hee!!  

[honeywell]

I’m so surprised with this series.  I don’t know why but I really like SH’s character. Maybe it’s because I’m at the point where I feel the same as SH.  Honestly, if SH gets past his rigid personality, he might actually see that JH is not just his ideal roommate but a partner as well.

 

The selfie pics is hilarious.  I don’t know if it will be scary or nice to see LMK smile.    I love seeing LMK in a series again.   I haven’t seen him since I Really Really like You.  His appearance in Shut zip flower boy band was too short.

[sakura2016]

hhhhhhhhhhh I love how do what he wants against his boss's words!!  

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

heartou

When you can get away with saying NO to overtime. 

cr: http://heartou.tumblr.com/

[camichi]

7 hours ago, Lmangla said:

LOL... am of the view that sometimes melo and makjang are a saner version of life.

here's my ode to makjang dramas. LOL

  Reveal hidden contents

http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/07/changing-tastes-real-life-is-sometimes-more-bizarre-than-makjang-dramas/

kekkeke.. that said, would agree with your last point. when I put myself in the shoes of the parents, here's the thoughts that came to me. so your kid knocked up some girl but at least he is taking responsibility for the woman and child. he isn't running off and being irresponsible. so they reluctantly are okay with it. since he is not yet financially independent, his solution is to stay in his sister's place. the parents don't look well off and so it is not like they can set up another unit for the son and his family but they are still the ones who are providing for his expenses.

 

the good thing is they weren't expecting ji ho to work and provide for her brother and his family as well. instead, the compromise is to potentially share the apartment. since the mom knows ji ho would not be comfortable, she chips in to get ji ho another place but has no idea of how expensive seoul is. since ji ho is financially independent, it makes more sense for her to move out if she wants to. at no point do her parents or her brother suggest she move out or she provide for her brother. she is free to make her own decisions and her brother has enough sense to feel guilty that she leaves. 

 

so stuff like that makes me think that they aren't terrible people. am reminded of this line from an old drama where the guy says that parents are just people who make mistakes before we become adults. so meaning they too are human and are not perfect.

 

I can’t say that her parents don’t care about her but I can say that they have been a Little apathetic about her. Maybe that They think she is independent and can support herself  but its look like they don’t ask her about what she really feel and what she really wants.

 

It was no fair that her brother stayed and she had to move. The only reason I can find to understand their attitude could be that they trust her. Her brother is weak if we compare the two and the parents know that , but since he was a child always got the preference (Birthday party), so he grow up thinking that he deserves everything without and effort or without earns it.

As you comment before, she has a place with them but I don’t agree that she don’t want go because of her pride I think that if she return to her parents’ home she wouldl be giving up to her dreams. She is 30 and at that age you must be independent, it is no suppose that at 30 you should be living with your parents.
 

[bedifferent]

 

6 hours ago, rembrandtz_5e20 said:

Have been rewatching EP1-4 and my wish is to have JH's parents visit them and stay for the night in future episodes. Just to see...

 

1.SH Vs FIL Round 2 (we all know who won the 1st round! Keke)

2.SH freaking out at the thought of sleeping in the same room as JH

3.SH living up to the promise that he will not let JH touch a drop of water (aka housework). *evil laugh* 

 

Dear dramagods, please let it come true!

 

 

hahaha I'm waiting to see how JiHo's first time meeting SeHee parents will go.  SeHee is their only son, that comes with expectations and some sort of protectiveness.  I laughed at the thought of both inlaws meeting each other for first time as well. What kind of animal sound will we hear from his father? 

 

8 hours ago, Lmangla said:

so stuff like that makes me think that they aren't terrible people. am reminded of this line from an old drama where the guy says that parents are just people who make mistakes before we become adults. so meaning they too are human and are not perfect.

 

Because this is their first time being parents...   I just find it's funny how JiHo is not her dad's princess.  Is it because she is an independent responsible soul even when she was a little girl?  We don't see a Father of the Bride display here. Yet anyway.  What kind of father takes the first bite out of a little girl's cake without giving her the first piece on her birthday?  lol  Let me call my own dad and ask him about it! hahaha

 

8 hours ago, lclarakl said:

I see the writer creating a contrast between the 3 women that reminds me of Goldie Locks and the Three Bears...."this porridge is too hot, this porridge is too cold, this porridge is just right/ this chair is too soft, this chair is too hard, this chair is just right, etc.".  Can you guess which one of the friends matches each porridge?  

...

 

I think there will be a lesson for all women in this drama, but I like each of them because they represent life.

 

I really love reading your thoughts about the three girls.  I agree with all that the three started off with insecurities and character flaws, what I am more interested in is how much they will have left at the end of the drama.  

 

 

No words... pink is his color.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[rembrandtz_5e20]

2 hours ago, honeywell said:

I’m so surprised with this series.  I don’t know why but I really like SH’s character. Maybe it’s because I’m at the point where I feel the same as SH.  Honestly, if SH gets past his rigid personality, he might actually see that JH is not just his ideal roommate but a partner as well.

 

The selfie pics is hilarious.  I don’t know if it will be scary or nice to see LMK smile.    I love seeing LMK seeing again in a series again.   I haven’t seen him since I Really Really like You.  His appearance in Shut zip flower boy band was too short.

 

Like you, i was surprised by how much I like SH's character. Maybe because he is so refreshingly different from the usual kdrama male lead. In fact, i think the writer created him as an anti-kdrama stereotype kind of character. 

 

He isn't a swoony, romantic lead, just an ordinary guy (albeit on the weird side) with an ordinary office job. What makes him endearing is his honesty and low-key kindness and thoughtfulness, and his respect for JH as a fellow human being and a woman.

 

Unlike a lot of other kdrama male leads, SH has :

-no birth secrets

-no chaebol parents

-no childhood tragedy or scar that he needs to avenge

-no anger against the legal or political system (which i think is a character trait that's getting stale)

-no supernatural or time travelling abilities (that too, is getting stale)

 

His woes are as common as ours, for example, being burdened by mortgage loans, finding recycling burdensome (and wanting to get away with it by making use of the tenant to do it) and feeling tired out by social activities that aren't fulfilling. 

 

But maybe that's why we are drawn to his story with JH, cos we want both of them to find love and hope, just like what we want for ourselves. 

[Lmangla]

50 minutes ago, rembrandtz_5e20 said:

Unlike a lot of other kdrama male leads, SH has :

-no birth secrets

-no chaebol parents

-no childhood tragedy or scar that he needs to avenge

-no anger against the legal or political system (which i think is a character trait that's getting stale)

-no supernatural or time travelling abilities (that too, is getting stale)

hmmm, so no shower angst scenes then where he feels sad on discovering some family secret or plotting some revenge??? hahahahhah.... or weird sweaters or suits in colours other than blue and black?... or trips to the mall where we see the latest trends?  hahahahh... by the way, does this drama not have PPL? it can't be sports channel subscription or arsenal fan club membership right? 

[Mindy]

I'm loving this series so far. Our main couple is so unique and well suited for each other that it's just wonderful to see how them together. Can't wait for their relationship to blossom. It would be hilarious is SH is the one who falls in love first. 

[bedifferent]

33 minutes ago, Lmangla said:

hmmm, so no shower angst scenes then where he feels sad on discovering some family secret or plotting some revenge??? hahahahhah.... or weird sweaters or suits in colours other than blue and black?... or trips to the mall where we see the latest trends?  hahahahh... by the way, does this drama not have PPL? 

 

SeHee and JiHo apparently hate sandwiches and pizza.