[Drama 2018] My Mister, 나의 아저씨 - Best Drama at 2019 (55th) BaekSang Arts Awards

[YukawaCattle]

銝祈剜

[Thomas Zhang]

A friend used to tell me that LSK always avoids admitting there is something between him and the leading actress.  I have read the topic about a Japanese Media's interview posted on the fansite ‘givemeslippers’.

LSK: “Why do you like me?” IU: “I just do.” | My Ahjussi / My Mister Fan Site (wordpress.com)

LSK said he himself could not understand why JA like DH.

When I read this at first, I thought may LSK did not understand the role of DH.

But that friend told me that, LSK was always afraid that he could be drawn into a controversial issue about the relationship between the leading actor and actress. So, we don’t need to take what he has said in an interview too seriously.

The fact is, what we have seen in the show is an obvious love story.

 

If you can read Chinese you can read the conversation between me and the friend.

一篇关于李善均和IU的日媒采访片段翻译（涉及李善均到底怎么理解朴东勋） (douban.com)

[actionscript]

On 1/13/2022 at 12:40 PM, YukawaCattle said:

Q22: Is the scene with no dialogue and only tears very hard for you?

 

Actually, the scene didn't cry at home at first. It is a scene that Dong-hoon suddenly starts crying in the alley on the way back from the supermarket.
It was a scene that avoided pedestrians, hid to one side and cried, walked out again, and suddenly started to cry again, like that.
However, the railway road that we usually show cannot be filmed during the day. There are too many cars to control, so the director contacted the screenwriter to replace the place, saying that we really cannot film at this place.
The screenwriter has probably encountered this situation before. 
Otherwise, the original plot was to cry while walking on the road.
Dong-hoon didn't even know why he was crying, but tears came out.
But after all, there was no way to film.
The director said to change it to something else and switched it on the spot.
When I had dinner, the director suddenly contacted me, said, "Let's finish this scene today," and gave me the script.
The emotional scene is quite burdensome, but by the time of episodes 15 and 16, maybe it is because I connected with the character and understood his emotions more. Hence it seems to become more manageable to me when I perform.
Of course, there is still a burden. 
That scene is crucial, and it's an emotional scene.
But the shooting ended sooner than I expected.

 

Thank you so much @YukawaCattle for translating the entire interview!! 

 

Quite interesting to learn that the initial intention for DH’s breakdown scene was not supposed to be in the living room, or at least not solely shot in one place. It was supposed to be in the alley on his way home from the supermarket. 

 

And that might put more weight that his breakdown has more to do with JA than on his failed marriage, as those alleys are filled with memories of him and JA walking together. 

 

21 hours ago, YukawaCattle said:

Each "Thank you" with a different meaning, right

 

Ohh I think I have not read this GMS article on the different thank you’s of DH to JA. Now that thank you in the final scene made a lot more sense to me now! Thanks for sharing the link!

 

12 hours ago, YukawaCattle said:

By the way, I don't know whether it has been mentioned before or not.

I think one of the symbols of loveline is the poles.

Maybe not only telephone poles, but also include other kinds of poles on the streets.

 

By the way, it is interesting that when the drama is showing the story related to DH and YH, there are always trees and poles in the scenes.

 

Another interesting find there! You’re right, scenes of DH and JA in the streets would always have poles, while scenes of DH and YH would have both trees and poles. 

 

1 hour ago, Thomas Zhang said:

A friend used to tell me that LSK always avoids admitting there is something between him and the leading actress.  

But that friend told me that, LSK was always afraid that he could be drawn into a controversial issue about the relationship between the leading actor and actress. So, we don’t need to take what he has said in an interview too seriously.

The fact is, what we have seen in the show is an obvious love story.

 

Welcome to the thread, @Thomas Zhang!

 

Yes indeed LSK was met with very harsh and violent criticisms from some groups who didn't want him to be paired up with IU. And it was mentioned a lot in this thread that one of his friend (who LSK rehearsed his lines with) had to post on his social media that he has seen the script and saw no love line.

 

So it is understandable that LSK was more careful in his media interviews when talking about his character and about the love line. 

 

Thanks for sharing the link. Great to see the site has the translated versions of  many of the articles from the givemeslippers site.

 

I think Google Translate was able to translate the pages reasonably well. However, in the comments, only the “top responses” are shown?” I didn’t see your comments though..

 

And I agree with you, it is an obvious love story, one of the most beautiful I've watched ever! 

[sweetroad]

2 hours ago, Thomas Zhang said:

But that friend told me that, LSK was always afraid that he could be drawn into a controversial issue about the relationship between the leading actor and actress. So, we don’t need to take what he has said in an interview too seriously.

 

Welcome to the forum @Thomas Zhang! Glad you're here!

 

Interesting! Thanks for this additional insight into LSK's interview "style". I know that after he filmed Coffee Prince, he and the actress who played his love interest there got into some trouble (even though they were perfectly innocent; it was just appearances), and because of that he also got into some trouble with his wife. So it makes sense that he would continue to be very careful in how he presents things.

 

In thinking of the interview and what @YukawaCattle translated, there are still a few hints as to what DH was going through regarding JA even if LSK had to be careful with his words.

 

13 hours ago, YukawaCattle said:

And I think it is human nature that if DH wants to avoid falling in love with JA, he already has some feelings for her.
We can always see how much the engineer Park relies on this pretty girl in this show. 
If he wants to resist temptation, it does not make sense that he is always so close to her enough.
He wants to deny these thoughts, so he treats such affections as a temptation.

 

Good point!! Just like DH starts avoiding Jung Hee's bar....there is something going on there in his heart toward JA that he needs to avoid and deny. Even Yoon Hee in Ep 11 says, "You go to Jung Hee's every day. It would be weird if you stopped going there."

 

1 hour ago, actionscript said:

Another interesting find there! You’re right, scenes of DH and JA in the streets would always have poles, while scenes of DH and YH would have both trees and poles. 

 

Whoa!!! I think a re-watch is in order soon, in order to find sirens, poles, trees, and other stuff this thread has brought up recently!

 

13 hours ago, YukawaCattle said:

understand your meaning, and I do believe loveline exists.

But I am still unwilling to see the officials make such announcements, so I want to find a direct symbol.
Because if the loveline does exist, the director will hide something directly symbol in this drama.
I think it is a creator's nature, just like he hiding divorce line into tree symbol. 
(Process: cut down--regrow--become a forest. So we have seen at the 3/4 of EP16 DH is regrowing, which means he already cut down the tree(=YH). I think it makes sense that they already divorced.)

 

We all know that from the show, if DH and JA will have romance, the process is:

 

(1) they love each other

(2) DH divorce

(3) they reunion and then have a new start.

 

So if the director has already hidden DH and YH divorce line somewhere and we could directly check its existence by photos, beer, tree symbol, then a direct loveline symbol must be hidden somewhere.
Exclude slipper, there must be something else love symbol in this drama.
KWS definitely knows the divorce line is a part of loveline, or he won't hide it.

So loveline definitely exist.

 

This all makes a lot of sense, good points! Have you seen this article? https://givemeslippers.wordpress.com/2018/07/21/love-timing-traffic-signals/

 

I think the traffic signals would be one of the symbols for the loveline. And the "pretty" and "nice" discussion (https://givemeslippers.wordpress.com/2018/07/18/who-is-pretty-and-nice/). The slippers, too, that undergo a change from Ep 10 (DH not wearing them) to Ep 13 (willing to bring them out of his drawer and rest them on the filing cabinet) and Ep 14 (DH wearing them). I love this article on Give Me Slippers about Dong Hoon's drawers: https://givemeslippers.wordpress.com/2018/08/09/dong-hoons-three-temptations/

 

And - I needed to get some stuff out of my system so I was already working on some lists of details ("evidence") that showed:

 

- YH and DH get a divorce
- DH loves JA in a deeply romantic way (not just love in a broad sense) and is attracted to her

- JA loves DH and still loves him after the time skip

 

Will try to clean up those lists and post them here. Maybe another symbol will pop up that hasn't yet.

 

1 hour ago, actionscript said:

And that might put more weight that his breakdown has more to do with JA than on his failed marriage, as those alleys are filled with memories of him and JA walking together.

 

You're right! I always thought he started breaking down because he saw his family photo in the dining room - one piece of "evidence" that he and YH were now divorced, otherwise why would he cry if YH were only gone for 2 weeks? - but if it's supposed to be in the alleyway on the way home, that would give credence to thinking about JA. DH is never shown walking the streets with YH after all.
 

Then again, it could just be the weight of everything just pouring out in his breakdown.

[Thomas Zhang]

4 hours ago, actionscript said:

 

 

Welcome to the thread, @Thomas Zhang!

 

Yes indeed LSK was met with very harsh and violent criticisms from some groups who didn't want him to be paired up with IU. And it was mentioned a lot in this thread that one of his friend (who LSK rehearsed his lines with) had to post on his social media that he has seen the script and saw no love line.

 

So it is understandable that LSK was more careful in his media interviews when talking about his character and about the love line. 

 

Thanks for sharing the link. Great to see the site has the translated versions of  many of the articles from the givemeslippers site.

 

I think Google Translate was able to translate the pages reasonably well. However, in the comments, only the “top responses” are shown?” I didn’t see your comments though..

 

And I agree with you, it is an obvious love story, one of the most beautiful I've watched ever! 

 

Thanks, I started to watch this drama 50 days ago and I love it so much that I'd rewatched it 7 times.  I have thought there ain't too many people discussing this drama since it was aired almost 4 years ago. I'm very glad to see so many fans here and I can share my view here. These translated posts from the fansite are all translated by me because I want to practice my skill of English and also because many people from CHN can't open the site well. So I decided to translate them. These posts from the fansite enlightened me. 

 

And, I have an idea that their reunion is not a coincidence or encounter. Due to JA was wearing a badge, it is obvious that JA and her colleagues went out during a weekday lunch break. I don't know how long will Korean office clerk take a break at lunch. For me, it is just an hour or 1.5 hours. So I think the coffee shop would not be far from JA's office.

 

Something interesting is， why does DH sit in a coffee shop not far from JA's office? 

 

Seoul is a large city with almost 10M people that I don't believe there is a such coincidence. 

 

According to his later word, he definitely knows which company JA is working for since he can receive JA's news from the President of SAMAN. He can also have the chance to know the news that JA is coming back to Seoul.

 

Remember that, DJY told JA in EP8 that she should meet DH often and make it look like an encounter. And JA has already done it in EP7.

 

So I think there is a possibility that， as a callback, their reunion is not an encounter but a well-prepared meet by DH.

 

Another evidence is , when JA found DH, she was very excited. But DH did not show a look for surprise.  DH looked back with a wondering face just because JA was changed so much that he can't recognize her at first.  Soon DH showed his smile that I think its represented a meaning  of "finally you're here". 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 14, 2022 by Thomas Zhang

[sweetroad]

21 hours ago, YukawaCattle said:

I understand your meaning, and I do believe loveline exists.

But I am still unwilling to see the officials make such announcements, so I want to find a direct symbol.
Because if the loveline does exist, the director will hide something directly symbol in this drama.

 

I've been thinking about it more today and actually the most obvious symbol to me of the loveline is what Ki Hoon and Yu Ra say and do all throughout the show.

 

For example (taking things we've been talking about from just a few days ago, too):

 

- Yu Ra saying "I will love you from now on, Department Head" and "I have a loan to repay" during her audition in Ep 8. This firmly establishes she is a parallel for Ji An - but most people wouldn't catch that the first time they watch the show.

 

- Ki Hoon saying this in Ep 9:

 

 

 

My note on this in this post https://forums.soompi.com/topic/408082-drama-2018-my-mister-나의-아저씨-best-drama-at-2019-55th-baeksang-arts-awards/?do=findComment&comment=22215454 was:

 

"What he says totally speaks for a future DH, when DH finds out JA is moving to Busan. As we know, KH in this episode talks about it like he's in Notting Hill and YR is a celebrity coming to visit him. But these two phrases for sure mirror DH’s heart in Episode 16 when he sadly realizes JA is about to leave for good."

 

- In Ep 10, as we know, Ki Hoon says, "I have the key" and walks around with the plant Yoon Hee gave him. If it wasn't established in earlier episodes that Ki Hoon is a symbol for Dong Hoon, I feel this scene where he has Yoon Hee's plant does make a connection between KH and DH.

 

- Ki Hoon saying directly "I love you" in Ep 11 to Yu Ra. If the show has done a good job establishing that YR is a parallel for JA and if the show has established Ki Hoon as a parallel for DH by this point, then for Ki Hoon to say "I love you" to YR is huge. Especially when we consider that DH chases after JA shortly after to demand the slippers back, as @africandramalover said in that "Buy Me Slippers = I Love You" GMS post. Again, viewers wouldn't have caught it on their first watch; they would have to catch the connection/ parallel on subsequent watches.

 

- The entire ending movie scene and what follows immediately after, as @actionscript pointed out a few pages back

 

- There are other examples as well, but these are what come to mind right now.

 

So I think Ki Hoon and Yu Ra could be said to be one of the most important symbols for the loveline. The only difference between them and other symbols are that they're alive .

 

Also, Ki Hoon and Yu Ra have their own history and backstory to work through, so that gets layered into the story as well. (I.e. I don't see as many parallels between Ki Hoon previously directing Yu Ra and failing, and DH and JA's current story. But I think the way KH and YR work to resolve their backstory - and the things they do and say to each other to resolve it - do have parallels to DH and JA.)

[YukawaCattle]

銝祈剜

[YukawaCattle]

銝祈剜

[actionscript]

11 hours ago, Thomas Zhang said:

And, I have an idea that their reunion is not a coincidence or encounter.

 

Great insights! Yes, it is very plausible that DH was indeed deliberately hanging around in a coffee shop near JA’s office. That also gives credence to the observation that DH and JA have switched in so many aspects in that ending scene: DH used to be the tentative one in approaching JA before, in the last scene it was JA that first appeared shy and tentative. JA used to hang around trying to catch a glimpse of DH, so in the end it was DH hanging around the coffee shop waiting to catch a glimpse of JA!

 

There was even a fan fiction I’ve read that since DH has been keeping tabs on JA thru Chairman Jang, it was Chairman Jang who requested his friend to transfer JA back to Seoul already! 

Come to think of it, Joon Young was the initial matchmaker, and YH, Kwang Il, Ki Hoon, and the janitor guardian all gave their blessings to DH and JA already, so in the end it’s the chairman’s turn. 

 

10 hours ago, the_sweetroad said:

So I think Ki Hoon and Yu Ra could be said to be one of the most important symbols for the loveline. The only difference between them and other symbols are that they're alive .

 

Yes!  Spotting that KH and YR are reflections for DH and JA are one of the most important keys in unraveling DH and JA's loveline!

 

And I notice this unique characteristic of My Mister: though there are so many characters and side stories, all of them serve as plot devices for the journey of DH and JA. DH’s family, Jung Hee, the hugye gang, all the office characters, everyone! And just when it seems KH and YR are a second OTP just like most K dramas would have one, in MM, they are not just a filler OTP as most K dramas’ 2^nd OTP would tend to be, but are actually mirroring devices for the main leads! It’s like every single element in the whole show orbits around the lead OTP.

 

Come to think of it, even the lights, poles and sirens in the background were not spared! 

 

5 hours ago, YukawaCattle said:

I think because KH and YR are a couple, if there is a symbol representing their love, then when we see such a symbol showing up in DH and JA's scenes, this will imply DH and JA love each other, like that.
Maybe such a thing is hiding somewhere.
I think it is the pole, lol.
Because it always shows up in KH and YR's scenes, and we had seen it repeatedly show up in DH and JA's scenes.
But I still don't know how to explain it.

 

So refreshing to see you now talk of poles as a symbol of love, and not about DH wanting to kill himself!! 

 

4 hours ago, YukawaCattle said:

But I think we could apply inductive reasoning to the following two scenes to get the result of "PDH loves LJA."

 

According to inductive reasoning, he misses someone he loves.

And the scene shows us DH is missing JA's "paiting."

 

According to inductive reasoning, DH sings this song for someone he loves, and this person will show up in the same scene with him. 

 

So this makes me feel that the director KWS intentionally sets three groups to show us PDH loves LJA.

If not, he could just let YH's scene shows up parallel to DH's scenes.

 

Very impressive observation again! Yes the flows of those scenes you captured are indeed made to induce that DH is also thinking about JA. Great find there! 

 

4 hours ago, YukawaCattle said:

(1) I am curious about whether "3" has any symbol to this drama or not. 

 

By the way, SAMAN E&C in Chinese is 三安E&C, and 三 means three in Chinese.
I don't know what the Korean Hanja for SAMAN is, but if it is really written as 三安, I think three must be a symbol in this drama.

By the way again, 安 is Ji-an's "an." 

 

Another great insight! Will try to think more about the 3’s significance. Also the 安 in Saman and in JA’s names might indeed signify something.

I’ve also read from the GMS site that fate had brought DH and JA together 3 times – the 1st in Saman, the 2^nd is when they meet again in the old guradian’s shack, and 3^rd is in the final coffee shop scene.

 

4 hours ago, YukawaCattle said:

(3) @actionscript, I am curious why DJY said PDH is not impressive for men, because it seems like he is popular with women, lol.

 

I’ve also read somewhere in GMS or in this thread that men tend to measure each other based on their ambition and material success (which is definitely true in many ways), but women would measure men based on other factors like kindness, etc.  And on their abs of course! 

[YukawaCattle]

銝祈剜

[sweetroad]

On 1/15/2022 at 1:17 AM, YukawaCattle said:

But I have a little disagree with the point of "In Episode 7, Yu Ra visits Jung Hee’s bar and says she’s thankful they’re all failures. (I mean, honestly.) The fact that they're all failures, but happy, gives her comfort."

 

Because I think JA's value system before EP15 is not like YR, or she won't feel sorry for DH and run away for him.

 

Good point! Yes, in Ep 7 when Yu Ra says this, JA isn't thinking too much about DH's happiness. When I wrote about that scene, I was thinking about the "failure" of the men, as well as the word "comfort" that Yu Ra said. Eventually JA also finds comfort in that group of people: "Upon re-watching the series, the fact she said the word comfort jumped out to me, knowing how important the word is to the rest of the show. And YR finding comfort with KH and his group of friends corresponds to JA finding comfort and acceptance with them, too. YR just says it out loud as early as Episode 7, whereas it takes JA a while longer to meet them and experience their welcome." So those were the two things I was focused on....but I like your thought that JA didn't necessarily value happiness yet for DH.

 

On 1/15/2022 at 1:17 AM, YukawaCattle said:

Your words makes me recall this nice article.

 

"We all had no idea that Dong Hoon avoids the bar for at least a whole month if not longer, showing an incredible amount of self restraint."

 

I actually think this is one place the show makes a mistake! Ji An goes to stay with Jung Hee at the end of March, not in February. Do Joon Young signs the paper for DH to be made a Managing Director on March 20.

 

(Photo credit from the GMS site)

 

The next day, March 21, everyone at Saman finds out (as shown on their computers when the announcement pops up).

 

A few days later, Dong Hoon finally finds JA in the shack and brings her to Jung Hee's. I don't know why the middle calendar is February...but it should be March. So from March 20-something (March 25??) until halmeoni dies on April 10, Dong Hoon is avoiding the bar. But it's not for more than a month, it's probably like 2 weeks.

 

It's a very little detail....but I think all of us posting now are really into little details!

 

On 1/15/2022 at 1:17 AM, YukawaCattle said:

Thanks for sharing the evidence and considering this idea.
Actually, what I want to find is like you and other Soompi members did.
I think because KH and YR are a couple, if there is a symbol representing their love, then when we see such a symbol showing up in DH and JA's scenes, this will imply DH and JA love each other, like that.
Maybe such a thing is hiding somewhere.
I think it is the pole, lol.
Because it always shows up in KH and YR's scenes, and we had seen it repeatedly show up in DH and JA's scenes.
But I still don't know how to explain it.
It is a tough thing for me.

 

I really like the way you're thinking, to look for more symbols. So far I think the symbols are:

 

- The traffic signals and their colors

- The slippers - being buried in the drawer and then coming up to the light

- Ki Hoon and Yu Ra's relationship and the declarations of love between them

- One more we haven't mentioned but I read about on GMS - every time they go to "their" restaurant, there are male-female couples there. The restaurant never shows larger parties but only male-female couples. And there frequently lit candles (more on this below).

- EDIT: Also, this post puts it very well: Are They in a Relationship? It talks about Ji An's dialogue to Do Joon Young: "“He’s never called me before, and we’ve never texted each other. So what kind of relationship do we have? Did we hold hands? Did we hug each other? How are you going to twist this?” The GMS post talks about the times when DH and JA called, texted, held hands, and hugged each other because they wanted to.

 

ANOTHER EDIT: I just realized you were talking about a symbol in Ki Hoon and Yu Ra's loveline that would be repeated in Dong Hoon and Ji An's loveline. I can't think of any besides what they say to each other and the movie scene at the end (both of which are very important and significant, the more I think about it!!)...but it's a good question to see if there are any more.

 

THIRD EDIT: I just realized that Ki Hoon and Yu Ra have: texted each other mutually, called each other mutually, hugged each other, and even kissed each other. They're the only couple we've seen do those. Have we seen them hold hands as well?

 

Also, I'm working on a post for GMS on all the times they used the song "An Ordinary Day" in the show. From what I've observed so far, they use it in many key DH/ JA scenes. But I checked the lyrics today and it's more about the pain both of them are going through; it's not necessarily a love song.

 

On 1/15/2022 at 6:31 AM, actionscript said:

Another great insight! Will try to think more about the 3’s significance. Also the 安 in Saman and in JA’s names might indeed signify something.

I’ve also read from the GMS site that fate had brought DH and JA together 3 times – the 1st in Saman, the 2^nd is when they meet again in the old guradian’s shack, and 3^rd is in the final coffee shop scene.

 

Yes, great insight about 3/ 三/ 삼 (sam)! Let's see what comes out of that.

 

On 1/15/2022 at 2:09 PM, YukawaCattle said:

Your words make me curious about SH and AR's role for DH and JA?
Maybe this group has their functions to this show.
Oh, also the group of JH and SW's function for DH and JA.

 

I have heard @actionscript talk about JH and YR mirroring JA's long-lasting love for their men. I bet he can fill that in for us!

 

Good question about SH and AR. I did notice in Ep 16 that when omma tells Dong Hoon that SH and AR might be getting back together, she turns on the stove and the fire comes on.

 

 

Spoiler

 

With Ji An, there was a fire behind her when Dong Hoon was saying he'd never had temptation before:

 

Spoiler

(Photo From the GMS site)

 

AND there are almost always lit candles at the restaurant JA and DH go to. So maybe fire is another symbol of their love.

[YukawaCattle]

銝祈剜

[Thomas Zhang]

Does anybody notice JA's bookrack? 

 

 

 

I'm making a video to interpret the role of JA and DH.  And I've read many insightful posts to make my script perfect.

 

I am curious that what kind of books JA was reading?

 

The spot never focuses on these books so I can't use a translation app to recognize them.

 

Are these books for entertainment? Or Job skill enhancement?

 

According to JA's resume, she graduated from a vocational high school.

 

Her word is always insightful. I think it give the credit to not only her wisdom but also her willingness to improve herself.

 

So I am very curious about these books.

Edited January 16, 2022 by Thomas Zhang

[sweetroad]

19 hours ago, YukawaCattle said:

Oh my god!
This is what I want to find!
These are the most directly subconscious things from a creator's mind.
If I am a creator and want to present JA and DH as a couple, what will I do?
Writing script is a writer's work.
Now I am the person who responds to the setting of the whole background. What will I do?
I think I will hide some symbols in their scenes.
So I always what to find such things because they are the most direct evidence for me.

(Also, there are many mathematicians around me, so I need to find such evidence things to persuade my friends, lol.)
It is visual and easy to understand, and you don't need to explain more from the script's context.
Now it is there. It just there.
Love line really exists.
I think I could let it go and happily watch the official announcement.
Thanks for the evidence.

 

YAY!!! We found something!!

Or, I should say, the Soompi member who put it on GMS found something!! @sadiesmith do you remember which GMS article this is mentioned in (that every time DH and JA are at "their" restaurant, there are couples around)?

 

@YukawaCattle

I believe DH and JA are in this restaurant in:

Ep 6 after DH scolds her and thanks her for slapping Kim Dae Ri

Ep 7 twice, when DH wants to thank her and at the end after JA runs to him

Ep 8 in the beginning of the episode as a continuation of Ep 7's last scene

Ep 12 after Ji An's panel interview

Ep 16 during their farewell

Any other times?

 

And DH is there by himself at the end of Ep 10, when he sits at the bar and looks for her out the window.

 

It will be interesting to go back and look specifically at these scenes and see what PDnim has placed in the background.

 

19 hours ago, YukawaCattle said:

The orignial dialogue in Korean is: 

 

뭔가 둘사이에 뜨거운게 지금 흐르고있어.

（Google translation: Something hot is flowing between the two right now.）

 

So I think fire is a clue, true!

 

Interesting that that's what Jung Hee says!

 

19 hours ago, YukawaCattle said:

Thanks for editing so many times to discuss this thread. 

"Have we seen them hold hands as well?" 
Oh!!! The answer is "NO!"
Why is that?
If they are a couple, they should do it.
But just like DH and JA before 3/4 of EP16, no scenes show us they hold hands!!!!
DH-JA and KH-YR's sync rate is too high. Weird.

 

Saturdays are for thinking about MM, I guess And every day, really.

 

Yes, I agree - DH-JA and KH-YR's sync rate is very high. Ki Hoon and Yu Ra really are meant to be a close parallel to Dong Hoon and Ji An, I believe. The more I think about it, the more I think they are one of the most important - if not the most important - symbols for the DH and JA loveline.

 

EDIT @YukawaCattle: One more thing that Ki Hoon and Yu Ra do, and Dong Hoon and Ji An do, is run to each other. In Ep 10 (?) Ki Hoon says to himself, "Run to her! Run to her if you miss her!" And later in Ep 15, Yu Ra runs to the bar (passing DH on the way) and when she sees Ki Hoon and the ahjussis she says, "I ran all the way from the intersection. I ran because I missed you."

 

JA runs to DH in Ep 7 as we know, and DH runs to JA in Ep 15. Once again, KH and YR have said out loud what running means.

 

 

16 hours ago, Thomas Zhang said:

I am curious that what kind of books JA was reading?

 

The spot never focuses on these books so I can't use a translation app to recognize them.

 

Are these books for entertainment? Or Job skill enhancement?

 

According to JA's resume, she graduated from a vocational high school.

 

Her word is always insightful. I think it give the credit to not only her wisdom but also her willingness to improve herself.

 

So I am very curious about these books.

 

Good question! I don't think we have many/any Koreans still hanging around the thread, though it would be interesting to know what books she kept on her shelf. Especially when she has so many jobs and doesn't have much time to read.

 

~

 

Also, everyone, I just "Reported a Problem" to Netflix and reported the bad translation in the English subtitles. Since so many commenters on Stephan's videos mentioned that Dong Hoon said "wife" in Episode 16, I thought that instead of complaining about Netflix's subtitles ad nauseum I should probably take action. Also, someone on the "Hometown Cha Cha Cha" thread just said that Netflix updated their subtitles for Ep 1 and 2 of HCCC, so maybe there's hope that they'll change MM's subtitle!

 

This is what I wrote, in case anyone wants to riff off it and report the problem himself/herself as well. You go to your Account, then Viewing Activity, then find My Mister: Episode 16. On the side there's a link for "Report a Problem." I think you have to report the problem for the specific episode.

 

"Episode 16. At the 1:25:54 - 1:25:56 mark, the subtitle says "My son and my wife," which has caused confusion for many, many Netflix viewers of this beautiful show. The subtitle should in fact say, "My kid and his mother," instead of "My son and my wife." (I.e. change "wife" to "his mother"). Dong Hoon clearly says "ae omma" (애엄마) in this scene, not "wife" (집사람).

 

Can you please consider updating this inaccurate translation to reflect a correct translation? Thank you!"

 

 

[actionscript]

22 hours ago, the_sweetroad said:

I have heard @actionscript talk about JH and YR mirroring JA's long-lasting love for their men. I bet he can fill that in for us!

 

I was just reacting to some posts I’ve read that says during the time skip, when JA got the opportunity to explore the world and meet new people, she would have moved on from her feelings for DH. So I made a comparison to JH and YR, that they both seemed to hold on to their feelings despite having explored the world – JH to Thailand where there are lots of monks (LOL!), and YR finding success in the movie industry. So there’s no reason to think JA would behave differently. It’s not that we still need any other clues though, her facial expression, body language, and dialogue in the final scene already say it all!

 

13 hours ago, YukawaCattle said:

And I think it really makes sure that My Mister is intentionally made to let the audiences watch twice or more.
At the first time, the audience won't figure out so the provocations could be avoided.

But when the audience watches twice or more, they will figure that DH loves JA from these details.
And there are no more provocations they need to worry about at this moment because time has by.
Such a genius drama team.

 

This has been on my thought for the longest time. I think no one got the entire story accurately on just one watch. And based on anecdotal observations, many would have appreciated the love line only beyond one watch, and that was the case for me, too! So my question is, is it not the fault of the story teller if he couldn’t get his story across in just one watch? Because how realistic is it to expect people to be watching more than once? I still think only a very small minority of K drama fans are into the habit of re-watching.

 

My theory is that things got lost in the midst of all the backlash. I still think there is an original intention to classify this story as a love story. Top proofs I can think of are the original relationship chart that showed an “affection” line between JA and DH, plus that English TVN commercial that described this show as an “intriguing age-gap romance.” If one is to come to the show expecting the love line, I guess many would not have missed the clues and misread the body language and facial expressions that all point to the love between the two leads.

 

But since the backlash happened, PDnim have to now announce that this is not a love story but a human story. So now people expect this to just be a healing drama, and that would have now caused many to misread or to even entirely miss the love line.

 

And only when some observant viewers start to see the divergence between what was proclaimed by the PDnim against what was being revealed in the show, only then did more viewers start to dig deeper and then start to have a deeper understanding of the story.

 

But your theory on the PDnim requiring viewers to watch more than once as the original intention all along is intriguing, but it might have merit. 

 

 

11 hours ago, Thomas Zhang said:

Does anybody notice JA's bookrack? 

 

I am curious that what kind of books JA was reading?

 

Are these books for entertainment? Or Job skill enhancement?

 

I also got curious with the books when I noticed them. But if they never got focused on by the camera, then I don’t think their subject would signify anything, other than to show that JA do read and that would, in general, push the idea that she is indeed a smart girl.

 

One thing I’m sure of is that they are not books on math. 

[sweetroad]

6 hours ago, actionscript said:

I was just reacting to some posts I’ve read that says during the time skip, when JA got the opportunity to explore the world and meet new people, she would have moved on from her feelings for DH. So I made a comparison to JH and YR, that they both seemed to hold on to their feelings despite having explored the world – JH to Thailand where there are lots of monks (LOL!), and YR finding success in the movie industry. So there’s no reason to think JA would behave differently. It’s not that we still need any other clues though, her facial expression, body language, and dialogue in the final scene already says it all!

 

Yes, great points. And I hope you emphasized your last line to all of them! 

 

I think that's when we know her feelings haven't changed - her face, body language, and even her shyness. But her eyes really do speak volumes:

 

 

On a recent re-watch this is the moment I knew Ji An would get her happy ending. There's no other reason for PDnim to have her look like this, when she's looking at Dong Hoon, if she were just a mentee being glad to see her mentor.

 

If anyone has read my fanfic , I really think that the reason she doesn't contact Dong Hoon during the time skip is not because she's getting over him, but because he doesn't contact her. I think moving to Busan gives her pause to reflect on her actions, and JA decides to leave him alone and give him some space. But her feelings remain, and never go away, even though she's meeting new people in Busan. And when she returns to Seoul, she still doesn't contact him because he hasn't contacted her.

 

When the posters you were responding to said that "when JA got the opportunity to explore the world and meet new people, she would have moved on from her feelings for DH," that's an assumption they're making. Just like I'm making the assumption that during the time skip her feelings remained constant. However, all assumptions need to be submitted to the truth of her body language/ facial expressions, etc. when she finally sees DH in the cafe. She's overcome with emotion; she's seeing the person she's been thinking about for so long. At least that's the way I read her body language.

 

By the way @Thomas Zhang in the fanfic I have Ji An being a big reader. I had noticed the books on her shelf before, too, and thought that in Busan, while being debt-free, she would find solace in reading more. 

[YukawaCattle]

銝祈剜

[YukawaCattle]

銝祈剜

[actionscript]

14 hours ago, the_sweetroad said:

When the posters you were responding to said that "when JA got the opportunity to explore the world and meet new people, she would have moved on from her feelings for DH," that's an assumption they're making. Just like I'm making the assumption that during the time skip her feelings remained constant. However, all assumptions need to be submitted to the truth of her body language/ facial expressions, etc. when she finally sees DH in the cafe. She's overcome with emotion; she's seeing the person she's been thinking about for so long. At least that's the way I read her body language.

 

Yes! Exactly my thoughts! Whatever happened during the time skip are all assumptions, and the moment of truth were shown to us when they meet again. And now that we know their feelings upon meeting again, we could now work backwards to build an accurate picture on what happened during the time skip – that they were giving each other space to resolve personal issues and to settle down from all the things that happened. And the fact they didn’t contact each other strengthens the notion they are still harboring feelings for each other, because it would have been easier to pick up the phone or send a text if one is putting nothing on the line, if there is no fear of rejection or disappointment.

 

12 hours ago, YukawaCattle said:

 

Oh, Indeed, there is a possibility that he never thought to let the audience re-watch.

Maybe he just wants to finish his work completely because he is an artist.

 

I read an interview that says KWS hates soap drama, which is why his drama always has such high quality.

So if he is such a high self-demand person, I think he will try hard to keep the completeness of the script.

He can use lots of cinematography techniques to satisfy his "creator's nature" to keep the completeness of the script.

So I believe he already hides all the clues in this drama, just wait for us to solve it.

Because I think he is unwilling to see that his work is incomplete.

 

And the audience like us just happened to be fans of this work and started to discover his mind.

Maybe he is not intended to make us do so.
It is possible.

 

But I don't think it is his failure.
I think such an approach could be a kind of art.

 

You are right! I was approaching it before from a commercial perspective. But moviemakers are artists at heart. As such, they exercise that freedom to mold whatever final product that would fit their vision, rightfully not minding how viewers would consume that art.  Some might be satisfied with just doing a cursory watch and moving on, while some would dive deeper to further grasp the creator’s mind.

 

Thank you for enlightening me on this! 

 

3 hours ago, YukawaCattle said:

I think there will be some novels in her bookrack, or maybe some sign language teaching books?
Or maybe "How to impress for Ahjussi" and "How to make Ahjussi fall in love with me," like that.

 

Oh, if the reason is to impress ahjussi, then I take back my assumption that they are not math books. Maybe she wanted to make sure the next time she meets ahjussi, she can compute her cosmic age correctly. 

 

3 hours ago, YukawaCattle said:

Yes, all scenes DH dates with JA are here.
Thanks for sorting them out.
I think the director KWS really meant to make DH and JA look like a couple.
If not, he could just set some groups of people, not couples, in the restaurant, just like EP1.

 

Thanks for that picture of their dinner in ep 1 that showed other non-couples in the restaurant. I did a quick watch of the scenes in their hangout place and indeed, they’ve showed either another couple in the background, or they didn’t show any other people at all. The ones in ep 6, 12, and 16 didn’t show any other people. The 2 restaurant scenes in ep 7 did show another couple in the background, with the first one even showing the couple doing a toast as well.

 

3 hours ago, YukawaCattle said:

So I think he is already trying hard to make people re-watch MM.
These are not about the love line, right?

If the non-love line is treated like this, I think it makes sense that the audience must re-watch MM if they want to find the love line.

 

Just like examples on the math textbook, KWS show some examples for us, the leftover clues are homework, and we need to figure them out by ourselves.
MM is a math textbook, and KWS is our math teacher.
I feel MM is like that.
 

 

There you go! And those math textbooks are hidden on JA’s bookshelf.

[sweetroad]

11 hours ago, actionscript said:

The ones in ep 6, 12, and 16 didn’t show any other people.

 

Good morning everyone!

 

I watched the restaurant scene in Ep 6 again last night and it DOES show people! 

 

At first I thought it didn't, but when the shot moves to a wide shot, you can see people in the background. DH and JA are sitting at the bar, talking about feigning ignorance, and there are 2 couples in the background. At the very end of the scene, the shot actually finally brings them more into focus, too.

 

 

 

In the one in Ep 12, the clock says something like 11:30pm, so maybe by then all the couples have left. I need to re-watch that one.