OFFICIAL JiAn-Hyuk JoGak-Sculpture-Couple Thread (Shin HyeSun ❤ Lee TaeHwan)

[youngatheart]

Having read most of the comments on this thread for about several pages now. I can speak to the fact that the conversation has shift from the focus of the thread which is a couples’ JiAnn and Hyuk. Please other conversations about the writer and other couple should go directly to those threads. For example, analysis of the writer should be in the drama. Thanks 

[meechuttso]

2 hours ago, titania1000 said:

any thoughts to share about the following scene where Hyuk got drunk: who is talking about as you see it? Does the parallel with Hee and Nam Goo works better for Ji An and him or not?

 

(Stuff in parentheses definitely implied by context.)

 

Hyuk: If so, then I'm definitely not to that extent (that much in love, as NamGoo was and couldn't date other women for feeling guilty/apologetic towards other women because in NamGoo's mind it's not fair to date them when in his heart it's only Hee).

 

NG: What is?

 

Hyuk: Me and Ji-Soo (I'm talking about)(staring at shot glass)

Hyuk: We are not to that degree (wouldn't you agree?)

 

NG: Man, it's just very frustrating (watching you two)

NG: Hey bro-in-law, just get it off your chest and tell me, what is it?

 

Hyuk: (drinks a shot and sighs a big sigh).

 

 

That's all there is. That's all Hyuk says.

 

 

From analogy to NamGoo's story, it doesn't work either way (Hyuk thinking of JS or JA) or it can work both ways. LoL (this writer is full of this s**t, in any translation).

 

Analogy:

NamGoo: loves Hee, Feels guilty dating other women who don't know where his heart is.

Hyuk: 1) loves JiAn still, doesn't feel guilty about dating JiSoo ('not to that extent he said')

Hyuk: 2) loves JiSoo now, feels guilty for giving up on JiAn, or doesn't feel guilty?

 

There is no real analogy we can compare NG+Hee with Hyuk+JS or Hyuk+JA. So it's inconclusive in my opinion, but whether he was thinking about JS or JA, he was realizing he's not that crazy in love with either girl compared to NG. The writer is not providing so much as a few dry pine needles to the flickering ember here....

 

But technically, the Jo-Gak couple lives still, hanging by a single strand of spider web. To the bitter end!

 

 

 

[mglthrw8]

I have a more optimistic take on the Baker-Hyuk drinking session. I believe it’s a direct callback to the last time they drank together in episode 22. In that episode, both Hyuk and Mr. Baker were suffering from the pain of unrequited love. They drank in silence and there was only 1 line of dialogue where Hyuk very drunkenly asks Mr. Baker “how many times have you been in love?”, “Once” answers Mr. Baker. 
I believe Hyuk confessed certain things to Mr. Baker that the writer is choosing not to share for now. When Hee asks Mr. Baker the next day what happened the previous night with Hyuk, he looks pretty evasive and guilty. There’s something Hyuk told Baker that he can’t share with Hee. 

I think just as Mr. Baker couldn’t get over Hee despite trying to date other women, Hyuk ultimately can’t get over Jian despite trying to move on with Jisoo. The revelation that Jisoo and Jian are sisters is just a cruel reminder of that for Hyuk. Poor Hyuk can’t avoid or escape anything Jian-related!

By the way, now that a JiHo-Seo Hyun relationship is possible, wouldn’t the success of that relationship decrease the chances of Jian-CDK? It’s rare in Korean society for siblings to marry into the same family right?
 

[meechuttso]

On 1/26/2018 at 3:17 AM, mglthrw8 said:

By the way, now that a JiHo-Seo Hyun relationship is possible, wouldn’t the success of that relationship decrease the chances of Jian-CDK? It’s rare in Korean society for siblings to marry into the same family right?

Sorry I didn't get around to replying to this before the wooden stake thru the heart of this thread that was Ep 41, which makes the reply moot. But since you asked,...

It is rare and highly frowned upon in Korean society for sibs to be married into the same family. And I have no idea, if it's some kind of strange forbidden fruit thing that makes it the number one theme for many of the weekend dramas I'm aware of - this happens non-stop, and I find it intolerably icky (unfortunately 5-children was like this, and yes, SHS (YeonTae) was caught in that same web). This one is much worse. And it looks like we got 3 pairs on the table here. Talk about a new meaning to the word cluster-****. Sheesh.

So yes if it was real life, the answer to your question would have been JH-SH would have thrown cold water upon everyone else (or better yet, any knowledge of the other 2 older pairings on the part of the younger sibs should have sent them screaming in opposite directions from the very first chance, but of course we have the opposite thing going on). In this drama everything is the opposite of real life, and now the JS-Hyuk 'pairing' will only catalyze and drive the cluster-**** into warp-speed, I am dreading to tell you.

 

I was starting to write the obituaries here, tell you all that it's been fun (well, maybe not fun, but it's been a ... wtf has this been I don't really know, sorry for the implied bad words).

 

But then I thought, well if the writer can write her demented and sadistic plot lines to torment us all, we can certainly respond with whatever imaginations and fanfic we want (note to the mods - the byline for the shippers thread clearly says: "real and imaginary couples" afterall).

 

The single thread of stretched spider web that this thread is hanging by for JiAn and Hyuk's ultimate coupling just stretched 2x as thin, but it's still in-tact.

 

I am upset at JiAn for her decision to 'rescue' Ji-Soo (who was actually leaving on her own volition) with the help of Hyuk, literally forcing Hyuk on a very short notice to choose the unfortunate path of entanglement with the hellish family against his better judgment. She had manipulated Hyuk in major ways twice already, forcing that date upon them, then with-holding important information by lying to Hyuk that it was her decision and not her sister's to not tell him, and then completely insincerely 'apologizing' to Hyuk when he said "if you're my friend you should not have with-held that information" - this apology is proven to be completely insincere because she is using Hyuk to 'rescue' Ji-Soo when she could have chosen other ways to not entangle him.

 

JiAn is strongly manipulative and controlling in her doings now, in a particularly egregious way since she's such a victim of other controlling influences in her own life, and that part of her character needs reform before I can warm up to her. She must stop trying to control Hyuk the way she has been if there's any sense of true gratitude towards him on her part

 

 

And so, one more step to the bitter end.

 

[mglthrw8]

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I was starting to write the obituaries here, tell you all that it's been fun (well, maybe not fun, but it's been a ... wtf has this been I don't really know, sorry for the implied bad words).

 

“That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die” – HP Lovecraft

But yeah, things are looking very bleak for a Jian-Hyuk ending. But I will keep watching and hoping. 

 

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It is rare and highly frowned upon in Korean society for sibs to be married into the same family. And I have no idea, if it's some kind of strange forbidden fruit thing that makes it the number one theme for many of the weekend dramas I'm aware of - this happens non-stop, and I find it intolerably icky (unfortunately 5-children was like this, and yes, SHS (YeonTae) was caught in that same web). This one is much worse. And it looks like we got 3 pairs on the table here. Talk about a new meaning to the word cluster-****. Sheesh

Thanks for your explanation @meechuttso! Sigh, I really had hoped Seo Hyun-JiHo would be the last line of defense for Jian-Hyuk. Oh well. 

 

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There's a real regret to have however for this episode: they missed one more time the opportunity to hug when he brought a suitcase to move on her clothes. She was emotional and grateful about the fact that he did so much for her. What better timing could they have?

    Compare the suitcase scene with Hyuk’s “rescue” of Jisoo. The “rescue” scene had everything: the exciting car chase ending in Jisoo’s car getting boxed in with action movie precision, the swelling dramatic music as the hero Hyuk strides out in slow motion, his long expensive coat flapping in the wind (how the actor kept a straight face through that scene I will never know). It was the classic romantic grand gesture. But it fell completely short for me in comparison to the suitcase scene. No theatrics there. Just simple sincere gratitude from Jian for what I believe was probably an unconscious, automatic act of kindness from Hyuk. 

    In fact, most of the Jian-Hyuk scenes have that quiet, understated quality. They eat and work together and have conversations about what they want to do, how they want to live, and what they aspire to. Even some of Hyuk’s big dramatic gestures are relatively underplayed. His “rescue” of Jian from the rain in episode 3 was played fairly straight. No swelling music or slow motion. Compare that with CDK’s rescue of Jian on the mountain in episode 17 which had that slow mo sentimentality. 

    I believe the writer stripped Jian-Hyuk scenes of any kind of romantic subtext as a way to emphasize the platonic nature of their relationship but that decision actually had the effect of giving their scenes greater meaning and power through their naturalistic and authentic quality. I’ll take Jian-Hyuk friendship scenes any day over clear umbrellas in the rain and accidental tripping into arms!
In 42 episodes Jian-Hyuk scenes break from naturalism once and only once and that’s during their time in Incheon. When the image of Jian’s profile flashes in Hyuk’s mind and he hits the brakes hard, the show signaled a clear departure from everyday reality. A grand dramatic gesture made all the more powerful for the restraint that came before. And there’s only scene of Jian-Hyuk with swelling music and golden hued light and that’s when she decides to go back to Seoul. So incredibly moving. Sadly Hyuk didn’t get to drive her home in the last episode. It would have been, as you said @titania1000, the symbolic completion of their journey together. 

Episode 41 may have been the death of Jian-Hyuk but I shall clue hunt to the bitter end! I took a look at Jian’s bookcase in episode 7 (39:36) to see if there was a copy of Cyrano de Bergerac, but alas there wasn’t. There was however, a book about Peggy Guggenheim, the socialite and art collector, indicating that the writer probably did do a lot of research on art. And there’s one English language book called the Lady’s Tutor by Robin Schone. Not going to post a description of it here, but it ah…may provide some insight into Jian’s attraction to CDK. Very amusing to think Jian learned English through that book.

 

 

[meechuttso]

 

Good bye to this thread. I am no longer following this couple nor the drama. Jianny is not the heroine character I had hoped for, very far from it. The writer's story is not compelling enough to watch intently. I barely watched the last one while cursing non-stop. I'll finish it casually but cringe at the thought that with the delays, it will go for another month and a half. I am glad the Olympics are here. Better dramas there. So long to all the chingoos here, but hope to see you elsewhere where SHS plays more interesting character and less traditional and frustrating.

 

 

[mglthrw8]

Sorry to see you go @meechuttso. Thanks for all your great posts. I’m definitely looking forward to SHS’s next project. She’s very talented.

Just finished 43 and 44. RIP Jian-Hyuk. We’ll always have Incheon I suppose. Sadly it also looks like Hyuk’s arc is mostly finished. He’ll be relegated to background status while the Choi family drama and Jian-CDK plays out. Expect more cutesy scenes with Jisoo sprinkled with a misunderstanding or two. If we’re lucky we’ll get at least one more mature well-written friendship scene with Jian. Hopefully over a celebratory meal after she wins her design competition. 

 

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But i realize reading you how we could have easily read wrongly the intentions of the writers. Everything that made the relationship stand out to me might be acccidental:  the opposite of the writer's intention which was convinced that the audience would always go for the romance between the leads, no matter how it's written and thus didn't try to be subtle.

It’s funny @titania1000 how the audience’s reliance and expectation of well worn tropes in main leads’ relationships creates perverse incentives for writers. Why go through all the trouble of slow careful characterization and painstaking attention to detail when you can just throw in clear umbrellas in the rain, skating scenes, theater chair malfunctions, accidental head bumps etc. 

Because Jian-Hyuk was never meant by the writer to develop into a romance, their scenes mostly avoid the worst storytelling shortcuts and crutches. There’s a kind of specificity and concrete detail in all their conversations/interactions that can only be the product of a lot of thought and hard work by the writer. 

By contrast, Jisoo-Hyuk is full of all kinds of clichés and shallow generalities. And I feel the writer must on some level know this. Look at the Hyuk-Jisoo conversation during their first date meal. It almost seems like lampshading by the writer. After Hyuk dismisses his first love for Jian as just being in need of positive influence as a troubled teenager, Jisoo asks “if so, why do you like me? What do you like about me” Those are questions still in need of good answers. Hyuk tries to playfully dismiss the question by using the same phrase she used to reject him with “there’s no reason for liking someone” but Jisoo of course wants something more specific and says “but still, you didn’t like me before”. He then talks about finding her book of recipes indicating some dreams and ambition and her stopping Hee from leaving. Not exactly convincing reasons. Finally he says that he likes her just for who she is. The most banal and clichéd of phrases. I mean, I know in real life the feelings usually come first and the rationalizations after, but in a work of fiction things need to be properly dramatized. 

“I just like who you are”. Seriously? Come on!

Jian’s attraction to CDK is similarly underdeveloped and frankly inexplicable. The writer made a real mistake in having CDK fail to do his duty to support her in front of his parents way back in episode 19 or 20. If he had just exercised some self-control over his emotions and fulfilled his duty to her that night, it would make her continued attraction and gratitude to him a lot more plausible. And he should have been a lot kinder and more considerate of her especially in episodes 37-39. It should not have taken learning about her suicide attempt to change his attitude towards her. But I guess what is done is done. CDK is behaving a lot better now. I’m sure he and Jian will reject the offer of marriage in the latest episode and pursue a relationship on their own terms.

Interestingly enough, I feel that the development of Seo Hyun-Jiho to be one of the best and most well written parts of the show. A lot of it serves as comic relief but there’s real intelligence at work. It’s a relationship that started off as purely transactional but has since developed into a real friendship and a (for now) one-sided crush by Seo Hyun. A lot of great scenes like JiHo treating her to fried chicken after learning that her family didn’t attend her recital and Seo Hyun apologizing to Jiho outside the club. The highlight of course is when he insists on paying her for their work selling clothes and she first becomes aware of her attraction for him. The scene features the classic kdrama wrist grab but it’s so appropriate and well executed because it’s grounded in good character work. Jiho values Seo Hyun as a friend and person. The money of course is trivial, but the gesture is so meaningful. Seo Hyun’s attraction is completely plausible.

The writer had to work hard to establish a plausible reason for Seo Hyun to develop an attraction to JiHo. Since these two peripheral characters being paired together isn’t inevitable, in order for their possible pairing to be convincing, it had to be carefully developed with specific details and good plotting and characterization.
 

[mglthrw8]

Some additional thoughts:

I think the writer should have taken the concept of noblesse oblige a little more seriously. CDK should have been a character who embodied aristocratic values at their best while also showing their limitations. His character would be self-conscious about his propriety, honor and sense of duty. His conduct would be unimpeachable and he would exercise self-control to the point of repression and rigidity. A character like that would never have failed Jian in her hour of need, no matter his own personal feelings. But he would of course eventually realize the hollowness of “correct” conduct when it isn’t accompanied with ordinary human compassion and empathy. 

I’ve said it before but Hyuk should have been allowed the dignity of “losing”. I feel the writer made a mistake in changing his feelings for Jian to that of platonic friendly concern. The writer should have allowed him to confess his feelings for Jian and been rejected and forced to deal with the aftermath. It could have made for a fascinating character arc for Hyuk, who was in every way worthy and probably even felt a sense of destiny, first by meeting Jian after her car accident and then later finding her in Incheon, but who at the end of the day simply wasn’t chosen. Because being worthy is not enough. It’s necessary but not sufficient. It would have been so interesting to see this stoic graceful man try to move on. To try and open up the part of his heart he kept closed all these years, because he was nurturing a secret hope that he would see Jian again. What happens when “destiny” fails and life has to go on?
 

[Ni Wen]

On 08/02/2018 at 11:33 AM, mglthrw8 said:

I’ve said it before but Hyuk should have been allowed the dignity of “losing”. I feel the writer made a mistake in changing his feelings for Jian to that of platonic friendly concern. The writer should have allowed him to confess his feelings for Jian and been rejected and forced to deal with the aftermath. It could have made for a fascinating character arc for Hyuk, who was in every way worthy and probably even felt a sense of destiny, first by meeting Jian after her car accident and then later finding her in Incheon, but who at the end of the day simply wasn’t chosen. Because being worthy is not enough. It’s necessary but not sufficient. It would have been so interesting to see this stoic graceful man try to move on. To try and open up the part of his heart he kept closed all these years, because he was nurturing a secret hope that he would see Jian again. What happens when “destiny” fails and life has to go on?

You spoke my mind. This was exactly what I had hope for especially after the Incheon scene and after she moved into the share house. There was so much interactions and space when he could have confessed and then get rejected. I know they are not going to be together but at least allow him to deal with his feelings openly and then move on. Alas this was not to be and I must say it's a big big waste where you can see the impending chemistry between SHS and LTH just waiting to explode but was forced to retreat instead.

[cp23]

I agree with all about the development of JA and DK. No chemistry, like a forced relationship to satisfy viewers because they are the OTP.  Why make JA attempt suicide and reunite with the very people, DK and his family who drove her to that point. DK was not there for her when she needed him most. The writer could have just made JA extremely depressed. Also, her father and mother were slapped by DK's father and grandfather. Why would you want to be a part of a family that keeps degrading your òwn family. The audience deserve better, main leads don't always have to end up together. 

[mglthrw8]

I'm still here! @titania1000

 

Thanks for the BTS pics from SHS's instagram. I so badly want to interpret her choice of that pic as some hopeful clue but I really can't anymore 

 

I just want to say that I'm really looking forward to your reactions to the latest episodes. I don't want to get your hopes up too much. Some of the developments are quite discouraging and the show has gone off the rails in many ways. But...I think you'll have a lot of interesting things to write about. I don't want to reveal too much because 1) I'm a little burned out on writing any more 2) I'm a little greedy and want to get your unfiltered reactions to some of the very interesting plot developments. The latest episodes 46 and 47 in particular are worth paying attention to. But again, don't want to get your hopes up too much.

 

Let's just say CDK regresses and fails to rise to the occasion yet again. He's called out on it by Hyuk and of course excused for his actions by both Jisoo and Jian. But Hyuk is 100% correct in his judgment. I took a peak over on the main thread and even some of the posters there are irritated by his actions. One poster amusingly enough, is so irritated that they're now shipping secretary yoo and Jian 

 

Jian also outlines to Jisoo her ideal working life (small woodworking shop, design, furniture) and it perfectly complements her being with Hyuk. That's why I was so excited to see SHS post a pic of Jian and Hyuk in his room surrounding by all that lovely wood and wood objects. 

 

Also Baker and Hee's argument reaches a resolution somewhere in either 46 /47 (they're blended together for me) and it may have implications for Hyuk-Jisoo. 

 

“what we call our despair is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope.” - George Eliot

 

Your latest post has fed my hope! Really excited to read your further observations.

[mglthrw8]

3 hours ago, titania1000 said:

 

 I know we've been crushed too many times but how can this be just a coincidence? She so rarely uses her insta and then she decided to bring this?!

No way, it doesn't have a hidden meaning! 

 

 

I know we’ve been burned so many times! But SHS’s post was simply about reminding people to watch at 10 pm and she could have picked ANY scene from her show and she picks the one with her and Hyuk in his room with all that wood! I really really really want to believe it’s a clue!

 

7 hours ago, titania1000 said:

 

The dialogues didn't mention him but like Hyuk's discussion with Hee referred indirectly to Ji An, every line here can apply to Hyuk: 

• the fact that she's looking for an ordinary working man, an ordinary man who runs his business.        
• A man that she can see at his office right after work.
• A man that she could help in his work.
• With who she  could go for a beer after work!
• A man that she can support when he feels bad 
• Someone to who she can  tell her day and what she achieved, and who would praise her for her work!
• Someone with who she could share little things about her life!  
• Someone with who she can laugh or get angry but with who she will always make up in the end (remember when she was so sure that Hyuk would forgive her after she rejected him that she told him bluntly).    

i don't know girl: you have the perfect guy for this kind of  life and you already lived it with him, so why can't you just recognize it?

 

Ji An ending at the shared house after her drink session with her friend: i don't care what the drama is telling me, the place became special for her because of Hyuk's work to bring her here. Same for Do Kyung playing with the lamp made by Ji An: it was made thanks to Hyuk's support and trust on her ability to design and create, and the way he took care of her drawing notebooks all those years...  

 

 

Great observation! She already lived through all that with Hyuk in the sharehouse. I still find it so profoundly moving that by holding on to her notebook he was safeguarding and preserving her dreams (her “golden life”) all those years. She still owes him a lamp!

I first became interested in My Golden Life because it promised that it would subvert the usual clichés associated with the weekend kdrama format.

Take a look at the initial teaser. There’s a literal checklist of all the usual clichés followed by the promise of more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zptHDdHed0I. Transcription below.

You’ve probably all seen this scene before, right? Secret of birth. Check. Appearance of a handsome team leader. Check. Smart and independent heroine. Check. And of course the love triangle. Check. One big happy family. Check. Is that all? No! There isn’t one gram of frustration in this drama. Bingo! (says Jian)

Sadly MGL hasn’t lived up to that promise but there’s been enough intelligence and quality along the way that I will continue to be nourished by the smallest crumbs of hope until the bitter end.

Also by sheer coincidence, just before I started to watch MGL, I was rereading a series of outstanding fantasy novels that brilliantly reexamines its own genre and ruthlessly interrogates its tropes. A few excellent fan essays I read argued very convincingly that there’s a running meta-commentary of the fantasy genre that weaves throughout the novels and works beautifully on a thematic, structural and character level. Genre deconstruction in works of fiction is nothing really new. Don Quixote, the first novel is a sort of parody/deconstruction of chivalric romances. But what the author does in his series is a kind of genre ‘reconstruction’ and ‘rebuilding’. Unlike a lot of 90s genre fiction filled with childish nihilism and cynical edgy anti-heroes, the author isn’t out to just burn down and tear apart the genre and its tropes. He loves the fantasy genre and has set himself the task of rebuilding tropes that have gone stale through careless misuse. He wants to remind us why the tropes had meaning in the first place and to revitalize their power. He doesn’t just say that love is an illusion, duty is a lie, honor will get you killed, there are no true knights/heroes etc. Instead he says that the ideals of heroism, duty, honor are very hard work, must always be earned and sometimes tragically come into conflict with each other. Tropes must be earned. And there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a hard earned well-executed trope. 

That’s why I was so invested in MGL for so long. The first 26 episodes were superb. And the promise of the teaser along with your writing/observations and meechuttso’s “drama revolution” posts made me believe the writer was doing to the weekend kdrama format what my favorite author did to the fantasy genre. *Sigh and that’s what prompted my Kokoschka theory. I hoped beyond hope it was some sly genre commentary. 

You’ll see for yourself later but the dating/romance scenes in the latest episodes have a curiously flat generic quality. Not organic. They’re so oddly detached from any context that they could be swapped into any generic romcom. CDK and Jian during their date scenes cease to act as their own characters and are transformed into two random generic people doing generic date things. Jian even blurts out loud that she has a list of all kinds of generic date stuff she wants to do with CDK. Both of them are just performing roles. Jisoo and Hyuk are also unsatisfying in ways I don’t want to go into detail except to say that Hyuk also appears to be desperately trying to perform a role. Jisoo curiously enough is not as into her role. You’ll see what I mean.

If I was more confident that the writer was actually trying to subvert and twist her genre, I would say that the feeling of “fakeness” was intentional; that it was to subtly alert the audience that those relationships were “wrong”. Unfortunately we’ve been burned way too many times. But I want to believe!

The fantasy writer I mentioned before tries something like that in his novels. He introduces a new character more than half-way (thousands of pages) through his series that is presented as extremely important. But it all feels subtly wrong somehow. There’s no build up. The character is completely bland and generic. He’s supposed to be this new hero/savior type but feels assembled out of the laziest fantasy tropes. In fact his backstory is basically a composite of two other main characters that we’ve been following from the beginning of the series. The essay I read argued that it’s all intentional to show that the character is a manufactured fake. There are strong suggestions that this ‘fake’ protagonist is going to soon come into conflict with one of the ‘real’ protagonists. And the real protagonist is going to reclaim her hijacked narrative by destroying this fake protagonist. A hard earned well-executed trope defeating a lazy one!

So what I’m saying is Jian-Hyuk will prevail over Jian-CDK!
I hope…
 

[cp23]

I have also noticed that JA/DK and JS/HK relationships seem to be out of sync since they got together. Even on other forums as noted, some people that shipped these couples, now don't want them to end up together. Some even hope JA does not end up with DK. As soon as DK put back on his business suit, his persona changed back to his original self. He did not inform JA about going back to Haesung and treated HK poorly.  The drama went off track to me also when DK moved into the sharehouse. It seems as though the writer started a new drama from that point, it became the typical rich guy drama of chasing the girl that his family doesn't approve of.  I hope the writer goes down another track with JA not ending up with DK.

[mglthrw8]

9 hours ago, titania1000 said:

I didn't come for the promise of subversion, only for SHS that i followed from another drama, Secret Forest,  that i beg you to watch because you'll love it, but i totally agree: there's intelligence and quality in the writing of MGL enough to hook me too until the end!    

I hold on that to convince myself that all isn't lost! It's not the end of JiAn/Hyuk until the end of the drama!

 

I’ll definitely start Secret Forest soon!

 

9 hours ago, titania1000 said:

You made me very curious about the fantasy series that you used for comparison: can you share the title?

 

It’s a Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin, best known for its hugely popular (but vastly inferior) television adaptation HBO’s Game of Thrones! 

I’ve been trying to read more classic literature over the past year.  I’ve finished all of Jane Austen’s novels except Mansfield Park (saving that one) and I’m now reading George Eliot’s Middlemarch and Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. 
 

9 hours ago, titania1000 said:

So i was really disappointed with the way she handled Do Kyung stalker phase, essentially Ji An's reaction to it. I still can understand how it wasn't off putting for her, and didn't end  any lingering feelings that she could have for him. But thinking about it based my experience  on social work, strong attachment and violence in romance can go hand in hand and take time sometimes years for deconstruction,  so i feel most of the time that she's just trying to add a touch of realism here...  

 

We sadly live in a world where better women than Jian have loved worse men than CDK.

 

@cp23

I should really wait for episode 48 to come out but here's my predictions (also indistinguishable from wishful thinking at this point )

spoilers for 46/47

Spoiler

In 46/47 we learn that Baker is going to fire Jisoo which will force her to choose between bread and Hyuk. I have a feeling she's actually going to choose bread. Hyuk will argue with her and will bring up the confession note he kept. She'll reveal that Jian actually wrote it. 

 

[cp23]

@titania1000 It is possible that the twist could be about her father and also DKs grandfather if he survives. Both could give their blessing for JA and DK. Not much episodes left.

 

If that is the case, this drama will be like most dramas where all evil deeds are forgiven as if nothing happened.

 

I think it's part of the kdrama template, using the same formulas over and over, just different actors. I was hoping this drama would get out of the box and be somewhat different in terms of the scenarios the writer gave the audience.

 

[mglthrw8]

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I won't lie i'm not excited to watch the rest....      

 

Fair warning, Hyuk does something extremely cringe worthy in episode 45. I hope you don’t mind me spoiling it for you to lessen the impact. Hyuk and Jisoo are at a dinner date and Jisoo is distracted by her concern for Jian. Hyuk ‘gets jealous’ and pouts and whines that Jisoo should be paying attention to only him. It’s…painful to watch.

 

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It seems pretty straightforward for them now with one of two twists to maintain our interest until the very end. Like Do Kyung returning to Haesung and acting like his old self (based on the spoilers), but from what i saw in ep 44, it's probably just a trick: i felt he was serious about selling his shares and might even do it at one point if he can't marry Ji An, though he still doesn't want to cut ties completely (probably to pay for his own factory). 

He's no longer worked up about the company, and though returning here have woke up/triggered his old habits, it's not what he wants to do based on how he seems invested in his new factory and how he acts around Ji An, so i don't think it will last: he will go back to her.

 

I actually don’t think CDK is going to leave Haesung again. His Grandfather’s health crisis has clarified just how much Haesung really means to him. It’s kind of funny but Jian initially subscribes to your theory that CDK going back to Haesung is just misdirection, that it’s just a temporary thing and that he will leave again for his own company after the situation is stabilized. When Jian goes to talk to secretary yoo she learns that CDK probably is going back permanently. CDK’s treatment of secretary Yoo is very cold and callous. Yoo has been abandoned. CDK doesn’t explain anything to secretary Yoo or have the basic decency to meet with him in person. Instead CDK tells secretary Yoo over the phone that he can no longer work at the company, that Yoo should take over and to pick up his car that he lent to CDK. Let me repeat, secretary yoo has to go and pick up the car that he lent to CDK. 

So I really don’t think CDK is leaving Haesung. The real question now is if Jian still ends up with him. I really don’t know anymore. Or I might just be completely wrong and CDK will renounce Haesung in the end for 'love'. Who knows.

 

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Apparently, her father is dying for real: that's the only way to let this ship become official. He wouldn't bless their relationship otherwise.

 

I know what you mean but Tae Soo goes out of his way to encourage Jian to go to Finland and break up with CDK while he was still under the impression that he was dying. He's apologetic about not being able to support her relationship but clear and firm about his intentions. 

 

I have a real weakness for shows and books that attempt something more artistically ambitious within mass-audience commercial formats. And I don’t mean shows/books that try to ‘rise’ above their genre (which to me is a bit distasteful as it shows contempt/superiority) but those that try to demonstrate that there’s no inherent contradiction in works of art that can appeal to a large audience AND be sophisticated and intelligent. I love watching creators try to work through the difficulties and tensions involved.  And even if it ends in failure I love the nobility of the attempt. That’s why I ultimately admire shows like the Good Wife (which went off the rails in the end) over the Wire. It’s easy to argue that the Wire is artistically superior but it had the freedom of being a prestige drama with few constraints. The Good Wife had to try and be excellent as network television. Same thing with a song of ice and fire. It’s probably doomed but it tried!

So I still have so much sympathy for and investment in My Golden Life (while still of course thinking that it's portrayal of relationships to be deeply troubling). The themes of the show and Jian’s struggles really resonate. That it’s failing almost makes it more poignant. 
 

 

[mglthrw8]

32 minutes ago, titania1000 said:

 

I see the fact that he doesn't explain himself as  one more evidence that it's a trick: he won't abandoned the man who gave him all his savings to build his factory when he was at his worst. That doesn't fit at all his personality. He must have a plan somewhere and will come bad to explain it. No doubt that he will  be forgiven by Ji An and Secretary Yoo. 

Really after the turn taken in ep 44, the drama can only go in one direction.

 

Ugh you're right. I hate it. But you're right . I just still think it's so selfish of him. Would a few quiet words of kindness and reassurance really be so hard though?  I understand he probably can't explain anything to Yoo yet but I wish he could just be kinder to him. Yoo and Jian of course will forgive him in the end. I sort of get that he has to be cold to Jian and Yoo because he needs to hold himself together and not lose his resolve for what needs to be done but he should still show more care for the people that love him. His coldness is for his benefit, not theirs.

 

An incident from many episodes ago still sticks in my mind. Jian was waiting all night for CDK to come home out of concern for him. He's been working hard at his part time jobs and she's worried about his well being. When CDK arrives back home, he's understandably exhausted and cranky. He barely looks at Jian and tells her not to ask about his day and walks straight to his room. Jian sadly mutters "you're killing me". But would it have been really so hard for him to give her a few brief gentle words to thank her for concern? It's the lack of empathy, the inability to view things from other people's perspectives that hurts.

 

45 minutes ago, titania1000 said:

I'm definitely  "the Wire" girl in this discussion: i worship it!  I personally love a show  with a vision, something artistically ambitious and so high confident that the writing can even aims to challenge/change the society! 

It holds all the more a special place in my heart because it's a cult show: a creation of pure genius that never got the recognition that it deserved (they were nominated few times but never won any Emmy awards), which never brought a large audience and fought every year to survive the massive cancellations announcements, but was just happy to only exist.

That the show survived for five years and kept its artistic integrity and radical political criticism of the american society is a miracle which would make me believe in God if i wasn't already...

 

The Wire is a real work of genius. It's certainly worthy of worship! And you're right, it's a miracle that such a show exists. It's still amazing that HBO gave David Simon and his team the freedom to pursue their vision without constraint. It made the most of the prestige drama format. 

 

But while I'm in awe of genius I can never quite relate to it. It's easier for me to relate to the showrunners of something like the Good Wife, talented but ordinary people trying to do their best work under a lot of limitations. Preserving a degree of artistic integrity under the compromises of network television.

 

I love scrappy underdog characters like Jian. She smart and talented but just a regular person. I loved watching her grow from a person so beaten down by life's circumstances that she felt forced to turn her ambition and talent to achieving conventional corporate success to a person willing to stand and fight for her modest dreams of being a woodworker and furniture designer. She was never going to create sculptures worthy of the Guggenheim museum but doesn't mean she had to live a life as a corporate exec. And it was Hyuk more than anyone else who helped her find a realistic path to be true to herself and live her best life. *sigh

 

It's really sad that he's never going to have an honest conversation with her over what she meant to him and what frankly he should mean to her now. One thing I was annoyed to see dropped was his sense of betrayal that Jian never told him about Jisoo's identity. It's not resolved, just dropped.

 

It's also very curious that Hyuk and Jisoo have never had a conversation about Jian. She's been the central figure in each of their lives and she never really is a topic of conversation. During their first date, Hyuk can't even bring himself to say Jian's name. He calls her his first love and  refers to her almost as if she's some random person Jisoo is unfamiliar with. Jisoo herself can't bring up Jian's name as well during that first date, just alluding to Hyuk's type. So strange.

 

We'll see what ep 48 brings 

 

1 hour ago, titania1000 said:

But i don't look down on MGL for not being at this level of quality and ambition. I came to kdrama because of what i couldn't find in western productions in general: this attention to life, to the little details that make happiness like Ji An creating a lamp, Ji Soo enjoying eating bread so much that she spent all her money on it, Hyuk's natural smile and real fun times with the ajhummas in Incheon, the Seo family sharing a simple meal and discussing their favourites dishes, the characters taking bus together and thinking about how their day will be, the slow pace which leaves time to the characters (Ji An, Tae Soo) to reflect on what happened to them...

So i'm enjoying this writing too! 

 

Agreed! I'm fairly new to kdramas and I love those ordinary aspects. i don't really know what it's come to mind as they're very different from kdramas but have you heard of Eric Rohmer and Richard Linklater? Their films feature long conversations with little plot and somehow they're a pleasure to watch. 

 

 

 

[mglthrw8]

6 hours ago, titania1000 said:

I hate the Nouvelle Vague movement so much! I can't stand watching  Rohmer, Truffaut, Godard and all those others pseudo directors' works. For me they killed the french creativity with their rules. It took decades to the french cinema to get out of the elitism that this school imposed on all the industry, and for a new generation of filmmakers to  dare to affirm their right to enjoy fiction for what it is at heart, to make films for the pleasure to tell good stories. 

French literature as the same problem but it's even worse, since it's still stuck in the same loop and there's no new real talent/author emerging to change the path...   

 

We'll just have to disagree on Rohmer . 

 

Truffaut and Godard leave me cold but I love Rohmer's films, especially his late sixties, early seventies output. You're probably right about french literature. French literature hasn't been relevant for a long time. I was forced to read some Houellebecq for a book club. He's somewhat interesting but a real reactionary. 

 

6 hours ago, titania1000 said:

Back to the thread, 

I just finished ep 45 and  i'm really mad that the writer has just purely and simply ERASED Ji An/Hyuk scenes!

How a relationship so strong could go to everything to nothing in few blinks while the two persons involved are still important for each other? She still works for him and he dates her sister, that she's seeing everyday so why can't she take the time to meet Hyuk?    

It makes no sense! I can  live with them being only friends but if the writer decides to give us nothing,  it will be too harsh!

 

I finally understand the appeal of fanfiction. I understood why people liked it on an intellectual level. But now I understand emotionally too .

 

6 hours ago, titania1000 said:

I wish the two men would have met: Hyuk used to remember him so clearly! I always thought that he appreciated him a lot since Tae Soo treated the wood classmates so well. It seemed to me that they had a bond by sharing the same desire to protect Ji An even though they didn't talk for years but it was before Hyuk was removed from her life...

 

The preview of Ep 48 shows that they will meet but unfortunately it looks like he'll be introduced as Jisoo's boyfriend. He's no longer even the second lead in terms of presence 

 

6 hours ago, titania1000 said:

And can you explain to me the absolutely delirious scene where she forced Hyuk to follow her to spy on Ji An and Do Kyung during their last date when they went sledging???!!!  What the Hell was that???!!!  Huyk was literally forcing her to retreat in the car because it was too cold! He looked pissed off and fed up with her stalking. I don't know what's going on with her: did i miss something?

 

I believe the official answer is that Jisoo wanted to wait for the date to end and ensure that Jian didn't have to go home alone. Yeah that doesn't really make sense. It was a very bizarre scene that I had completely forgotten about. I can't really account for it except as a hamfisted attempt to include some extra screentime for the actors. 

 

6 hours ago, titania1000 said:

when did he ever consider her feelings? He's making efforts since he came back from Incheon with the confirmation of her suicide attempt but it looks so forced, i don't believe it's the real him at heart

 

You'll see him regress again soon in either 46 or 47. In response to his coldness Jian has a brief flashback to the infamous scene where he doesn't let Jian get a word in and humiliates her to the point that she no longer wants to ask for his help with his parents and has to then face them alone. But the flashback doesn't produce revulsion. It just makes her sad for him. 

 

6 hours ago, titania1000 said:

Be it for Ji Soo or Do Kyung, I don't see any real evolution in term of character development, and it's very hard for to me to accept the idea that we won't escape them and they will be the final lovers for Hyuk and Ji An.  

 

The fate of Jian-Hyuk might rest in the hands of Jisoo. She's going to have to choose in ep 48 between her career/bread and Hyuk. Baker explicitly says this to Hee when he tells her that he's going to fire Jisoo. Jian also asks Jisoo about what she values more but Jisoo only says that both are important to her. But she will be forced to choose. Even though we've seen some retrograde attitudes towards relationships in the show, I still think Jisoo will choose bread. My prediction is that Hyuk will argue with her and pull out his possession of her love confession note as a trump card. I still think it's going to come into play as Hyuk is shown to be reading the note in two separate scene and Jisoo is completely unaware that he has it. Jisoo will then reveal that Jian wrote it. If Hyuk becomes single I think it could set up a Jian-Hyuk ending. Hyuk and Jisoo have already broken up once so I don't see them getting back together if they break up again.

 

But I may be getting ahead of myself. Perhaps Jisoo chooses bread, decides to go to France to learn and Hyuk vows to wait for her. 

 

Or everything above will just be completely wrong. I haven't had a great track record with my predictions in this show 

 

 

 

 

[mglthrw8]

1 hour ago, titania1000 said:

Finally happy scenes for us!

 

Hyuk meeting Ji An's father (and her mother)!

Hyuk's cheering Ji An when she got her prize! 

 

It was worth the wait!

 

Finally! 

 

Hopefully we get one more meal scene just the two of them!

 

Thank you for your thoughts on 46-47. I hope to write a little more later because you've brought up some interesting points.

 

20 hours ago, titania1000 said:

It was strange how Ji An refused to let Hyuk enters her home for fear that he would recognize her mother as the woman who pretended to be the new occupant and told him that Ji An moved away. It's all over now; why make a deal of it

 

We'll have to wait until the subs are out but from the clips of ep 48 it looks like neither Hyuk nor Jian's mother recognized each other. What was the point of the above scene then? I thought it would pay off somehow in 48. 

 

On 2/22/2018 at 12:13 PM, titania1000 said:

Maybe because he thinks the Choi family will hurt her if she persists to stay in a relationship with Do Kyung?

He's obviously driven at this stage of his life by the desire to protect her but if Do Kyung's grandpa greenlights their marriage (after Do Kyung will save the company in way or another), it will be all good for him too.

 

The clips in ep 48 show that Tae soo is now willing to support the Choi's in their move to remain in control of Haesung. He's doing so for the sake of his daughter. Bizarre that he would help the people that have hurt him and has family so much but I guess it's for Jian.

 

20 hours ago, titania1000 said:

I agree with you here: i'm not sure too that their romance will stand. I'm pretty sure about Ji An and Do Kyung will be reunited but i have more doubt for Hyuk and Ji Soo. I think there's a real possibility that she could leave him and maybe go abroad like Ji An but for a longer time and who knows then what will happen to them then, unless we got a time jump.....

 

I'm really curious how ep 48 played out. Jisoo got fired from the bakery but it looks like she and Hyuk haven't broken up yet. I believe she's contemplating it though. There's a clip of them eating noodles that looks a little tense. Excellent observations by the way on their dialogue in the car up to her father's house.

 

20 hours ago, titania1000 said:

 how horrible he can look  when he puts on this suit, which means he will be forced to give up the title of heir of Haseung and just run his factory if he wants to be with her,

 

He's even further from giving up Haesung now. The last scene of ep 48 shows him announcing his candidacy for CEO. I hope we're not headed for the worst possible ending where CDK becomes CEO and Jian still marries him. 

 

20 hours ago, titania1000 said:

Oddly too since the triangle is officially dead, the confrontation between Hyuk and Do Kyung shouldn't seem like an opposition between two rivals, so why do i feel that the writer hinted at it?

 If Hyuk invoked mostly the fact that he didn't want Ji An to be hurt, and that a lot of people supported Do Kyung so turning his back on them was a betrayal, he never  answered the very important question: why did he not stop Do Kyung from winning her?  I feel like he's avoiding the issue of his real feelings because he considers that he can't take responsability for her...

 

Agreed. Very odd scene. CDK throwing that question at Hyuk really angered me. Hyuk's silence is even more puzzling. I believe you're right that Hyuk's avoiding his feelings but are we reading too much into it? There's only 4 episodes left now. Can we really expect any abrupt shifts in the story? 

[mglthrw8]

On 2/26/2018 at 11:38 AM, titania1000 said:

However, when he tried to be more personal with her and asked about how she feels since Do Kyung left: she seemed to cut out the discussion quickly to his disappointment. Though she seemed to reject the possibility to confide to him, i liked her answer about the fact that she was feeling sometimes good, sometimes not good. It goes with the fact that she said  to Ji Soo that she has lived with Do Kyung everything that she wanted to live and that she was ready to move on. It gave me hope for few minutes (until the end of the episode) that one day she could live without him and, realize that he's not essential to her happiness at all. 

 

She’s not willing to confide in him but it’s interesting that she’s actually more honest with him than with Jisoo. Jian at least is willing to admit to Hyuk that she sometimes isn’t fine. But with Jisoo, Jian says that she has no reason to be upset. Even when Jisoo presses her and says that emotions don’t work that way, Jian still insists that she understands why DK did what he did and that she’s fine with it. It seems that even though the sisters are close again, Jian no longer quite trusts her as before. I also wonder if Jian is suppressing anger towards DK. When both Hyuk and Jisoo ask how she feels about DK going back to Haesung, Jian’s face takes on a strange blank look and her words become airy and glib, as if the matter were of no consequence.

 

I might be remembering this wrong but if I recall correctly, when Jisoo first informed Jian that DK was headed back to Haesung in ep 47, Jian acted very relaxed and reassured Jisoo that it was just a temporary measure and that he would be back with Yoo soon. When Jian later finds out that DK at least appears to be going back permanently it doesn’t alter her attitude in the slightest. We now get blank looks and glib speech. So strange.  Jian must be suppressing intense anger towards DK.

 

Despite the wonderful scenes in Ep 48 with Jian and Hyuk, it sadly looks like Jian is still deeply in love with DK. It wouldn’t surprise me if Jian has an epic blow up in one of the last episodes followed by DK grandly revealing that he’s permanently severed ties with Haesung to be with her.

 

On 2/26/2018 at 11:38 AM, titania1000 said:

How satisfying was it that Hyuk watched Ji An gets the prize!!!! The completion of the road taken together to bring her physically to her family and mentally to regain her faith in life, her independence, her freedom to define for herself what she wants and the confidence that she has the qualities required to be a designer and so to realize her dream! If it doesn't mean that they're meant to be together, i don't know what else could be necessary...       

 

 

We were both upset when we found out that DK would be bringing her back to her parents place so I’m so glad we got the awards ceremony scene along with Hyuk meeting her parents.

 

On 2/26/2018 at 11:38 AM, titania1000 said:

Not only that, the way the infos was revealed  caught also my attention: when Hyuk praised Jian and said that she was acclaimed by everyone at the wood workshop,  it's Ji Soo who, without reflecting much on it let everyone know that they promised to go together to Arts university, forcing Ji An to take a pensive, maybe embarrassed look, as if everyone would wonder why she did end up with him, since they fit each other so well!       

 

 

The fact that this drama is still keeping close track of details like this is why I cling to a sliver of hope. Why even mention that they were to go to the Arts University together this late in the show? Have you also noticed how many broken/unfulfilled promises Jian has with Hyuk? Feel free to add more but the below are what’s off the top of my head.

Broken/Unfulfilled promises:

-Hyuk’s lamp! He made the carousel! Where’s his lamp?

-To study at the Arts university together

-To let him know what’s going on in her life (after she leaves home to go to the Chois’)

-To stay in touch (after she loses her phone she doesn’t reach out to Hyuk. She later tracks him down at his office to have lunch and of course he forgives her)

-To let him know what’s going on after a week (when they were having lunch near the sea just before the Haesung anniversary)

-Not really a promise but Hyuk asked her to go for a coffee and walk by the sea and she assures him that she’ll go with him next time

 

On 2/26/2018 at 11:38 AM, titania1000 said:

She still refused to break up with Hyuk but the fact that she rejected his offer of help put a a real distance between them: he really didn't like that she treated him like a stranger and tried to tell him what to do. Bonus for us: Ji An seemed very concerned by the fact he was angry!

 

Jisoo is making the same mistakes with Hyuk that led to their first break up. She’s withholding important information that is relevant to their relationship. What is she thinking? How has she not learned anything? It’s only going to be a matter of time before he finds out what Hee told Jisoo. It already infuriates Hyuk that their relationship is marked by a lack of openness. After everything he’s done for her she still doesn’t trust him and is keeping him at a distance. When Jisoo said “we’re just dating” to Hyuk, he must have been very hurt. He’s not the type of man to treat relationships superficially. I do wonder what the fallout is going to be. EP 49-50 might finally kill off Jian-Hyuk for good if Hyuk and Jisoo reconcile and they reaffirm their commitment to one another, this time with a promise from Jisoo for full transparency and honesty.

 

Another huge problem with a Jian-Hyuk ending is that I really can’t see Jian accepting Hyuk, knowing that Jisoo still loves him. Hyuk and Jisoo would have to break up in a permanent way that leaves no lingering feelings or resentments on either side.

 

On 2/26/2018 at 11:38 AM, titania1000 said:

Objectively, if he wins and become the CEO, that would mean that the people concerned (shareholders) trust him to be their leader and he wouldn't be able to quit in favor of his father. 

But i think it can also be easily overlooked once the battle will be won  and his parents reintegrated in their functions.

I can see him returning to  Ji An and to what he left behind: the factory and his secretary/best friend. And we know that sadly both would still take him back happil

 

I can’t quite decide whether the remaining episodes will be a test of DK’s values or a test of Jian’s. I firmly believe that Jian should only accept DK if he permanently severs ties with Haesung. It’s the only way to remain true to the integrity of Jian’s character. Any sort of half measures are unacceptable. DK taking a leave of absence from the Haesung and then going off to play at being president of a small company all the while knowing he could leave immediately for Haesung again would be unacceptable. It would indeed be a repeat of the last few episodes. Anything less than DK appointing professional management (a very plausible idea raised by someone on the main thread) and selling his shares would be unacceptable. If he is to win over Jian he needs to leave his world and join hers. I would be very sad not to get a Jian-Hyuk ending but if Jian-DK is to happen we may as well hope for the best possible way.

 

 Jian has made it very clear in so many episodes that she wants absolutely nothing to do with that world. The writer cannot ruin Jian’s character. It would be beyond horrific if her fate is to be a Chaebol wife who also gets to dabble in a little woodwork, a silly little thing that DK indulges her in. The show will try to treat it as a good ending but I won’t be fooled!

 

If the remaining episodes are to be test of DK’s values, we’ll probably see him struggle and then finally decide to give up Haesung to be with Jian.

 

But if it’s her values that are being tested then I can easily see either a Jian-Hyuk ending (the best one!) or a Jian alone ending (not the best but acceptable). What may happen is that DK will attempt to convince her to marry him now that he’s in sole control of Haesung. He will tell her that she no longer has anything to fear now that he’s in charge. She won’t be subject to the rule of his mother or grandfather. And as the new head of Haesung he will promise her that things will be different and that he will institute real reforms. He will tell her that their relationship will be based on equality and that he will honor all her needs, especially her love of wood. Jian must refuse. Even assuming that DK is completely sincere when he offers this to Jian, she must refuse because his offer is not one that he can fulfill. We’ve seen in the last few episodes the kinds of pressures an institution like Haesung can exert on the individual. We’ve seen Jaesung attempt to resign his position and break free only to return and reassume his role. We’ve seen DK stand up to his grandfather and refuse the presidency only to completely reverse himself. Haesung will ultimately control DK more than he can control it. I have no doubt that he will make some reforms. He won’t repeat the corruption and tyranny of his grandfather and aunt. His own personal household will be an improvement on his own upbringing. But he will be bound by all kinds of pressures. Pressures from shareholders, clients and customers. Pressures from the other members of elite society. DK will not be able to wall off Jian from all that. She must refuse him.

 

In episode 11, Jian mentions another painter named Egon Schiele. She says that he left his longtime lover for a rich woman. What she doesn’t mention is that Egon Schiele still expected to maintain a relationship with his lover even after he got married. Apparently he wanted to have yearly holidays with her. That ex-lover of course refused him and never saw him again. Jian must refuse him if he still wants to keep Haesung.

 

Random thought - Jian still doesn’t know that DK’s grandfather assaulted her father right? I will continue to believe it was an unintentionally horrible choice to have DK withhold that information and instead ask her to date.

 

On 2/26/2018 at 11:38 AM, titania1000 said:

That's why his cancer is so convenient. 

I can understand that he feels like he has a debt to pay, which won't leave him live or rather die in peace  until he pays it, as the way the chairman treated him proved it, but the fact that his death is used to help to make this couple possible, while this relationship is wrong on so many levels is really bothering me a lot. The old man deserved better... 

 

Poor TS. He’s spending his last days trying to help Jian move forward with her life. I really really hate the whole real cancer-fake cancer-real cancer plot.