[Drama 2019-2020/2021] Love Alarm, 좋아하면 울리는 - Season 2 out now

[Breeze]

Netflixkr 's twitter uptade

 

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

[anony12345]

Yo she embarrassed the ML totally in ep 7 - not going to lie I've never liked or enjoyed the break up for the greater good trope in kdramas especially when it makes barely any sense like it does in 90% of kdramas. Angst for the sake of angst. At least make it semi-realistic, it's way too jarring otherwise

[enigmatic_zephy]

7 hours ago, Myokie said:

Sorry for taking awhile to reply. I've seen that tangent of reasoning and I'm inclined to believe that you're right in some sense in that she's "using" the boys as an emotional crutch. I believe that she needs to get out of that toxic household and learn to understand/appreciate herself better and to also grow from her past mistakes before she enters in another relationship. Even though she seems to understand her mistake in her relationship with Sun Oh, I feel like all the negative energy she's receiving from her house is only going to continue to spill into her life and future relationship with Hye-young if she does not move out. But she's not just using HY because he is "more compatible social status wise", Hye-young represents unconditional love and hope in a world where Jojo feels isolated and used. But that is also why it is so crucial for her to understand that she cannot go into this relationship with Hye-young like she did with Sun Oh because a relationship shouldn't be your sole emotional crutch for everything that goes on in your life. Here's hoping that season 2 deals with this better, and I'm hoping she gets some better friends in the future to help along with her journey. 

Re: breakdown of SO and HY's relationship. I meant SO instigating the 'breakup' of his relationship with HY. Sun Oh's the one that confronts him about it and tells him that he does not want to see HY ever again. Yes, it's true that HY is breaking the "bro code" by pursuing SO's ex-girlfriend (one that dumped him horribly at that) but he has no obligations to live with SO just because they are friends, even if the motivation for doing so is less than considerate. When I said it was hypocritical of SO to break their friendship apart I meant that Hye-young could have very well done the same with Sun Oh when he found out SO kissed his crush despite already knowing Hye-young liked her. (You can give the excuse that SO asked HY many times and HY always denied but the truth is Sun Oh KNEW about Hye-young's feelings/crush. It's also really obvious that he knew of HY's crush on Jojo when he saw HY following her [+ HY looking at her lovingly from afar] and when Hye-young replied that 'she has a boyfriend'. The director included all these signs to let us the viewers know that SO was AWARE of HY's crush on Jojo. The only reason why Sun Oh asked HY that many times was to re-affirmed and confirm that Hye-young was going to be his 'rival' in love.) 

Moral of the story is that nobody is really 'right' or 'wrong' within their relationships, which also makes the drama between all three interesting for that very reason.  

I don't know about webtoon.. but as far as jo jo's character is concerned.. i think i would praise KSH.. because atleast the way i see it.. no other actress could have made this character work.. '

 

being an orphan is not really a unique problem..

her aunt is no mother but she ain't cindrella's step mother either

cousin is a richard simmons but then she also gets a backstory

 

and tehw ay KSH plays this.. i actually dont feel sorry for the character (background wise), except that she has PTSD..

but despite being not a very nice female lead by character. she is still awesome.. AGAIN. only because of how KSH plays her.. she brings a wonderful class and elegance to this character

[Breeze]

 

Love triangle in the zone

He loves me, she loves me not---there’s an app for that in ‘Love Alarm.’

SEOUL, KOREA—What kind of world would it be when no one can hide feelings for anyone?

 

Spoiler

(FROM LEFT): Jung Ga-ram, Kim So-hyun, and Song Kang (Photos by Kigon Kwak for Netflix/Manila Bulletin)

 

In “Love Alarm” on Netflix, an app lets the users know when someone with a crush on them is within 10-meter radius. That proves to be a game changer for main characters Kim Jojo (played by Kim so-hyun), Lee Hye-young (Jung Ga-ram) and Hwang Sun-oh (Song Kang) who are involved in a love triangle without all of them knowing it at first. The series follows and explores the changing emotions of the characters as their romances heighten.

At a press conference, the actors talked about each of the characters they play in detail.

“Jojo has been through and is in a very tough and difficult situation. But she never loses her positivity and confidence inside, and that made me feel quite sympathetic for her,” Kim said. “She’s someone who you feel more interested in and curious about the more you see her.”

Jung revealed Hye-young is Sun-oh’s best friend, who grew up with each other.

“Even though Hye-young comes from a family of modest means, his mom always cared for and loved him. So he grew up to be someone who can place other people’s needs before his and is very considerate,” the actor hinted.

Song also thinks Hwang’s past has something to do with the kind of person he turned out to be.

“Sun-oh grew up in a rich family and has everything that anyone could ask for, but he feels a void inside because of all the hurt that he’s suffered from his family,” he said.

Actually, “Love Alarm” is based on a webtoon (webcomics) created by Chon Kye-young. The webtoon was first published in 2014 on Daum Webtoon, upon which it gained enormous popularity, being read by two million readers in a year.

“I grew up reading Kye-young’s comics,” said “Love Alarm” director Lee Na-jeong. “I had faith in her works and have been her fan. We often talk about ‘romance comics,’ but Kye-young’s webtoon wasn’t all simply light and fun, but it also had depth in terms of its exploration of love. It was different from the usual romantic comedies or teenage romances, and I was quite fascinated by the depth with which the original story explores the love and hurts of the main characters and how it shows different aspects of life.”

 

SCENE FROM ‘Love Alarm’ (Photo courtesy of Netflix)

 

In a separate interview, she talked about the message of “Love Alarm.”

“When you fall in love with someone, you can encounter the most beautiful moment in your life and are encouraged to muster up the courage that you couldn’t before. You may have to face the ugliest side of yourself or end up having the most painful past that you suffered revealed to someone,” she said. “The three characters in the series experience all of these. Just by watching the main characters who are swept up by the feeling of ‘loving’ someone, we can have a lot of conversations—conversations not only about romance, but about ‘life.’”

Kim is also a huge fan of the webtoon. The actress said looked up who would be the would-be picks for the characters even before she knew it was going to be made into a series.

“I rooted for other actors for Jojo’s character, but then, when I got the offer for the role, I couldn’t give it up for anyone because I wanted the role so badly,” she confessed.

Well, it’s not as if, she wasn’t first choice to play Jojo.

“I thought So-hyun was the perfect actor for (the role). She had a striking resemblance to the character of the webtoon, but more importantly, I thought her ability as an actor to portray a wide range of emotions made her the perfect fit for the role.

“She embraced various aspects of Jojo to near perfection—from Jojo’s strong and positive personality, to her falling in love and shutting the world out to lead a lonely life, with her command over a wide emotional range and strong acting skills.”

Jung had always liked the character Hye-Young from the webtoon. So, when the actor got the role, he shared with the director his interpretation of Hye-young’s thoughts so they could shape the character together for the series.

“Ga-ram has the most pure and sentimental aura out of all the actors I’ve met in their 20s,” Lee praised.

But perhaps Song was happiest when he got in. After all, he beat 900 other competitors for it—including models and K-pop stars!

At the very least, this guy gave it his best shot, as he, himself, said.

“In many auditions, I’d regretted that I didn’t give 100 percent of myself. So, for the auditions for this project, I decided that I would show everything I had so I wouldn’t have any regrets.”

The director knew exactly why there can be no other Hwang than Song.

“Song Kang offered something different every single time—he could handle a wide spectrum of personalities from a lonesome, indifferent person to energetic boy and cute, kind-hearted person, which is why we concluded that he proved himself to be the one who can best portray the various charms of the character, Hwang Sun-oh,” Lee said.

Do the three relate to the characters they play in real life? Survey says: No.

Kim, Jung and Song need no app to let their feelings be known to someone they like. Indeed, once they are sure of how they feel, they’d let the other know about it.

Speaking of app, Lee said that developing an app was one of the most challenging parts in making “Love Alarm.”

“I wanted to make sure that the app doesn’t get in the way of the emotions of the characters and that it feels real and excites the characters. So, we put in a lot of thought into the design and functions of the app. While the overall mood of the webtoon carried the refreshing energy of the youth and seemed clean and cute, I tried to make the Original Series more dynamic, gritty, and realistic,” she said.

Well, for the actors, the hardest part was doing the scenes where they had to act distant from each other. After all, the three have become good friends in real life, even hanging out in arcades between takes, they said.

They are aware that with the series out worldwide, the male characters might get pitted againste each other.

“Actually, fans are divided into two groups: one that supports Hye-young and the other that supports Sun-oh. Both of the characters are so charming in very different ways, so it’s difficult to choose one,” said Kim.

Oh, and if she were to choose, which team would she be on?

“I like Hye-young because he’s very loyal,” she said. “I feel sympathetic for him for having loved Jojo for such a long time, but at the same time, have such respect for him. I became Hye-young’s fan because he made me feel, ‘Wow, a person could love another person to that extent.’”

The three shared their favorite scene or line.

Kim: “I like the line, ‘I won’t get crumpled,’ just as director Lee mentioned. I thought that line really expresses well who Jojo is. In the original webtoon, the scene actually has Sun-oh and Jojo sitting next to each other in a small alley when Sun-oh suddenly proposes that they kiss. And they start a conversation from there. That’s when the get to know each other better. I loved that scene. I was very excited to shoot the scene, and was excited in a different way from the way I felt about the scene in the webtoon.”

Jung: “I would choose the line that goes, ‘To me, it’s all romance—because I’m doing it with you,’ because that encapsulates everything that Hye-young feels about Jojo.”

Song: “I would choose a line from a scene where the friendship between Hye-young and Sun-oh is fractured. Sun-oh says, ‘The choice is up to Kim Jojo,’ and that was my favorite line.”

At one point during the press conference, the three were asked by media if they felt pressured doing “Love Alarm” knowing it’s based on a series that’s loved by so many people.

 

THE CAST of ‘Love Alarm’ with director Lee Na-jeong (leftmost) (Photos by Jisang Chung for Netflix/Manila Bulletin)

 

“There was a lot of pressure. So many fans love the original webtoon, and there’s so much room for how to interpret each character, so it was crucial that we decided from the start on the general approach to interpreting the characters,” Kim said.

“That’s why I relied a lot on director Lee. I tried to stay focused on the direction that she intended and tried my best to be in line with that intention. Jojo is the subject of so much affection from others, but she doesn’t take it for granted, and she needs to navigate through a lot of complicated thoughts and emotions and deal with many challenges—so, rather than portraying her as a female character that everyone loves, I thought a lot about how to approach her as one person to another.”

 

Spoiler

Talent greeting at VIP Premiere

 

Jung agreed, adding that he tried to be “honest” with his reading and essay of Hye-young.

“I had to convince myself to believe that my interpretation of Hye-young is the same as who everyone else perceives Hye-young to be, and I communicated a lot with director Lee about that while shooting,” he said.

 

Talent at pop-up activation

 

Song said he referred to the webtoon for his character’s appearance, but in terms of portraying who he is, he was “always concerned that how I represent him might not be the same as how readers of the webtoon perceive this character or it might not be the right way to portray him.”

What is the message of the series about technology?

“I didn’t approach technology as something good nor bad,” Lee said. “I thought what’s more important is not people relying on technology, but how people use it.”

“Love Alarm” is available for streaming on Netflix.

 

https://entertainment.mb.com.ph/2019/08/27/love-triangle-in-the-zone/

[Breeze]

 

[Breeze]

 

[scarletlover1]

I'm sorry but I just don't understand how people can support SO. Ship who you want but there's no way I can support someone like him.

 

Here is why!

 

1.  Who kisses someone to find out his/her's best friend crush like them? Who does that? SO already knew HY liked her, he said it himself "It's so obvious." As a real friend SO would get always try to get HY to admit it, encourage HY to make a move or secretly plot to get HY and Jojo together. But he didn't do any of that!
2.  He is like the most selfish human being I have ever seen. He steals his best friend's crush, he risks his friendship over a girl and says that HY used them their whole lives...This boy is something else. Who was going to look out for SO if HY didn't? That time when SO's mother gave him some alcohol and put something in it, if it hadn't been for HY there was a chance he could've died. He should be grateful to have such a loyal friend instead of a fake one, especially in his case since he's the rich one! How many times has he come across people trying to use him? HY was the only one who didn't!
3. This love triangle also started because of SO. When SO returned home and HY is not responding at all, this was the first time that SO was not getting HY's attention. So what happens? He finds out his best friend has a crush! Instead of showing support, what does he do? Oh so HY likes this girl? Okay, so what I'll do is take her for myself so that way my best friend will stop paying attention to her and go back to paying attention to me. Also takes advantage of the situation every time. SO tells HY that we'll let Jojo pick. However, it was never a fair competition because Jojo didn't even know about HY's feelings at first and the moment SO gets Jojo alone, he used the Love Alarm. So what about that was fair?
4.  WORST FRIEND EVER. Or should I say FAKE? SO gets mad for HY making a move on Jojo because "You know what she did to me!" What about what he did to his best friend whose like a brother when he made a move on a girl he knew his best friend liked, he didn't know about her existence! He's the one who broke bro code not HY! He started all of this! HY never risked their friendship, SO did all that on his own! What happened to bros before you-know-what? Huh?!

Team HY, because he deserves Jojo more than SO. But people should be more concerned about this friendship. Because I don't know how HY put up with SO but I just wouldn't do it, I would cut ties with him. SO doesn't deserve either HY or Jojo.

[baby.hae]

@scarletlover1 calm down lol. A lot of love alarm fans ship SO with Jojo, it's okay, I mean everyone have different opinion, you have to respect that. Before anyone coming to you, here's the different view that people (especially SO and jojo fans) might thinking :

 

- About SO and Jojo first kiss. Yes it was weird move but jojo also accepted that. Yes HY has crush to Jojo but then jojo had BOYFRIEND. That's make the different, thats why HY can do nothing about it to make any move, he has no right to stop SO to like her either. If enyone could stop it it should be Jojo boyfriend. Also Jojo and SO were interested to each other, not just SO. I dont know why you blame only to SO, when it takes two people to build relationship. When jojo and so kissed, she even still had boyfriend, actually that's also considered as cheating. From love alarm itself we learned that you cant stop from liking someone and can do nothing about it. Same with SO, and Jojo

 

I'm still going out, will add more if I back to home :))

[philosophie]

Hey guys is there a season 2 or was ep 8 final final episode??

[cheonsongyi]

@baby.hae hello, i just read your post. So the webtoon still ongoing???

bcs some ppl said its alr ended. I dont know which one is true lol. Bcs the latest webtoon page, broke my heart. Hahah

Thanks

[bright morning]

1 hour ago, philosophie said:

Hey guys is there a season 2 or was ep 8 final final episode??

 please there has to be more episodes

[scarletlover1]

@baby.hae I never disrespected that, like I said ship who you want. This isn't about Jojo, this about a two boys who have had this friendship for years and one of them is willing to risk it over a girl. A friend who can so easily betray the other. It's hard to trust people and anybody would be lucky to have HY as a friend. In SO's case being the rich one, what other friends does he have? And I'm talking about real friends not ones who use him for their own benefit. Like I said "Bros before you-know-what".

 

SO never had a right to like her when he never knew before. It isn't like he knew her first and liked her as long as HY did. Now IS being Jojo's boyfriend, I still can't believe that were really in a relationship. He was more like the friend who liked her a lot and always following her around like a little puppy dog. SO knew HY liked her, he knew she had a "boyfriend" and did what he wanted regardless without thinking about the consequences. Because that's how he is being the rich one and can get whatever he wants.

 

The difference between HY and SO's approach towards her: SO was kinda manipulative towards her which is why she fell for him so easily. But HY was more genuine which is why I think she was willing to give him a chance.

 

If this was me and my best friend, I just rather the guy choose me. I wouldn't want to compete with my best friend for a guy but I also don't want to lose my best friend because of it.

[elan1]

4 hours ago, cheonsongyi said:

@baby.hae hello, i just read your post. So the webtoon still ongoing???

bcs some ppl said its alr ended. I dont know which one is true lol. Bcs the latest webtoon page, broke my heart. Hahah

Thanks

 It's a fact that the webtoon is still ongoing. The writer was on a break due to health problems but now she's improving. She's working on the webtoon once more. 

[elan1]

5 hours ago, philosophie said:

Hey guys is there a season 2 or was ep 8 final final episode??

99 percent chance there will be season 2. Director said it depends on feedback and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. 

[aznchic209]

First time posting on here in many years - been mostly a silent reader but I felt compelled to post after marathoning all 8 episodes of Love Alarm. I’m really hoping there will be a Season 2 to tie everything up nicely. There are 2 scenarios that I think will happen: 

 

1) Most likely: Jojo who is now more mature and more confident decides to pursue her new relationship with HY. With the launch of Love Alarm 2.0, everyone’s going to want her to download it but all 3 characters will hesitate to download the app itself due to the fear of not knowing whose name will appear on her App. SO will keep dating his famous gf but will fight against his feelings for Jojo the whole season... as will Jojo who realizes that no matter how good HY is to her, her feelings for SO will never go away. She then breaks up with HY and gets back with SO only to realize that she’s really in love with HY. She and SO find closure and accept that their relationship has come to an end.. he’ll go back to his famous gf and promises to be good to her and promises that he’ll ring her alarm one day.. Jojo will meet up with HY.. and proves that he’s the one she’s in love with by... ringing his Alarm. The End.

 

2) What I want to happen: Jojo is now dating HY and determined to make their relationship work. She’s happier and more mature now.. SO will keep dating his famous gf but fights with his feelings for Jojo during the whole season. He’ll be jealous of Jojo and HY’s new relationship as Jojo acts differently now, she’s happier.. and that causes him to act out and lash out at her, HY, and his famous gf. He’ll keep trying to make Jojo’s Alarm ring.. but she still isn’t able to get rid of the Shield. As she’s dating HY, she realizes that actually, she never got over SO... and although HY is good to her, it’s only because he gives her stability and allows her to run away from the cruelties of life.. because HY’s only purpose is to make Jojo happy and that’s all she wanted - someone to make her happy. But it isn’t fair to him because she actually doesn’t love him the same way... she breaks up with HY who finally accepts that she’ll never ring his Alarm and lets her go knowing that he had his chance and tried his best... Jojo goes back to SO who’s been a mess the whole season and apologizes to him for being immature back then.. and confesses that actually, she didn’t ring his Alarm because she had a Shield on it.. and even though she’s within 10M of the person she loves, he’ll never know.. with the Shield deactivated now, she turns it on... and finally his Alarm rings.. in fact, it’s always rung because she never stopped loving him. The End. 

 

You guys, I have a feeling she’s going to end up with HY because everything that happened at the beginning was just so off.. if HY had rung her Alarm first, she would have ended up with him anyways.. but he was a coward and stayed by her side silently whereas SO faced his feelings head on.. this coming from a guy who’s always been “weak” and “immature.” But his and Jojo’s feelings for each other.. as fleeting as a moment as it was... was real and pure. They were both two broken people who relied heavily on each other.. but also provided support and love for each other.. and I REALLY REALLY just want her and SO to get back with each other because they never stopped loving each other... and it breaks my heart to see that he still rang her Alarm that whole time (4 years later) and yet, she had a Shield that prevented her from ringing his.. this guy needs some LOVE!!! 

[elan1]

27 minutes ago, aznchic209 said:

First time posting on here in many years - been mostly a silent reader but I felt compelled to post after marathoning all 8 episodes of Love Alarm. I’m really hoping there will be a Season 2 to tie everything up nicely. There are 2 scenarios that I think will happen: 

 

1) Most likely: Jojo who is now more mature and more confident decides to pursue her new relationship with HY. With the launch of Love Alarm 2.0, everyone’s going to want her to download it but all 3 characters will hesitate to download the app itself due to the fear of not knowing whose name will appear on her App. SO will keep dating his famous gf but will fight against his feelings for Jojo the whole season... as will Jojo who realizes that no matter how good HY is to her, her feelings for SO will never go away. She then breaks up with HY and gets back with SO only to realize that she’s really in love with HY. She and SO find closure and accept that their relationship has come to an end.. he’ll go back to his famous gf and promises to be good to her and promises that he’ll ring her alarm one day.. Jojo will meet up with HY.. and proves that he’s the one she’s in love with by... ringing his Alarm. The End.

 

2) What I want to happen: Jojo is now dating HY and determined to make their relationship work. She’s happier and more mature now.. SO will keep dating his famous gf but fights with his feelings for Jojo during the whole season. He’ll be jealous of Jojo and HY’s new relationship as Jojo acts differently now, she’s happier.. and that causes him to act out and lash out at her, HY, and his famous gf. He’ll keep trying to make Jojo’s Alarm ring.. but she still isn’t able to get rid of the Shield. As she’s dating HY, she realizes that actually, she never got over SO... and although HY is good to her, it’s only because he gives her stability and allows her to run away from the cruelties of life.. because HY’s only purpose is to make Jojo happy and that’s all she wanted - someone to make her happy. But it isn’t fair to him because she actually doesn’t love him the same way... she breaks up with HY who finally accepts that she’ll never ring his Alarm and lets her go knowing that he had his chance and tried his best... Jojo goes back to SO who’s been a mess the whole season and apologizes to him for being immature back then.. and confesses that actually, she didn’t ring his Alarm because she had a Shield on it.. and even though she’s within 10M of the person she loves, he’ll never know.. with the Shield deactivated now, she turns it on... and finally his Alarm rings.. in fact, it’s always rung because she never stopped loving him. The End. 

 

You guys, I have a feeling she’s going to end up with HY because everything that happened at the beginning was just so off.. if HY had rung her Alarm first, she would have ended up with him anyways.. but he was a coward and stayed by her side silently whereas SO faced his feelings head on.. this coming from a guy who’s always been “weak” and “immature.” But his and Jojo’s feelings for each other.. as fleeting as a moment as it was... was real and pure. They were both two broken people who relied heavily on each other.. but also provided support and love for each other.. and I REALLY REALLY just want her and SO to get back with each other because they never stopped loving each other... and it breaks my heart to see that he still rang her Alarm that whole time (4 years later) and yet, she had a Shield that prevented her from ringing his.. this guy needs some LOVE!!! 

Well thought out scenarios! Bravo! I’m hoping for the second outcome too ! 

[starlitelet]

16 hours ago, scarletlover1 said:

I'm sorry but I just don't understand how people can support SO. Ship who you want but there's no way I can support someone like him.

 

Here is why!

 

1.  Who kisses someone to find out his/her's best friend crush like them? Who does that? SO already knew HY liked her, he said it himself "It's so obvious." As a real friend SO would get always try to get HY to admit it, encourage HY to make a move or secretly plot to get HY and Jojo together. But he didn't do any of that!
2.  He is like the most selfish human being I have ever seen. He steals his best friend's crush, he risks his friendship over a girl and says that HY used them their whole lives...This boy is something else. Who was going to look out for SO if HY didn't? That time when SO's mother gave him some alcohol and put something in it, if it hadn't been for HY there was a chance he could've died. He should be grateful to have such a loyal friend instead of a fake one, especially in his case since he's the rich one! How many times has he come across people trying to use him? HY was the only one who didn't!
3. This love triangle also started because of SO. When SO returned home and HY is not responding at all, this was the first time that SO was not getting HY's attention. So what happens? He finds out his best friend has a crush! Instead of showing support, what does he do? Oh so HY likes this girl? Okay, so what I'll do is take her for myself so that way my best friend will stop paying attention to her and go back to paying attention to me. Also takes advantage of the situation every time. SO tells HY that we'll let Jojo pick. However, it was never a fair competition because Jojo didn't even know about HY's feelings at first and the moment SO gets Jojo alone, he used the Love Alarm. So what about that was fair?
4.  WORST FRIEND EVER. Or should I say FAKE? SO gets mad for HY making a move on Jojo because "You know what she did to me!" What about what he did to his best friend whose like a brother when he made a move on a girl he knew his best friend liked, he didn't know about her existence! He's the one who broke bro code not HY! He started all of this! HY never risked their friendship, SO did all that on his own! What happened to bros before you-know-what? Huh?!

Team HY, because he deserves Jojo more than SO. But people should be more concerned about this friendship. Because I don't know how HY put up with SO but I just wouldn't do it, I would cut ties with him. SO doesn't deserve either HY or Jojo.

 

@scarletlover1 I used to watch so many Korean dramas, but gave up because they keep making irrational and immature decisions. The only reason I watched this was because of Netflix. I am going to go back on hiatus if Jojo ends up with Sun Oh. It just doesn't make sense to me why a person in real life would be with a person like Sun Oh. I'm tired of main leads in Korean dramas ending up with guys like him. Why does it always have to be the immature but good looking guy that all girls fawn for? That's boring. I would never pick someone like that. I would go for the person who is most grounded and always there for me through thick and thin. Sun Oh is too immature and selfish. I will be extremely disappointed if the endgame is Sun Oh. That will teach young modern girls that all the ways he flirted to get Jojo is what a man is supposed to do. That's sick!

[Breeze]

Love Alarm: Eps 1 and 2 Last Impressions

August 28, 2019 |  packmule3  |  1 Comment  |  Love Alarm, Uncategorized

This is for good friend, @lovebangwon, who threatens to hack me if I don’t write a comment on this drama.

I didn’t check other drama sites for the inside scoop on the final “One True Pairing” (or OTP) so my opinions might differ from the rest. (But who cares? I’m an uber-richard simmons, anyway.) Also, I purposely didn’t check your twitter account, @lovebangwon, so I wouldn’t be influenced by your choice.

You asked me for my assessment on who the End Guy would be, whether it was

A. the cool model, anime-looking, politician’s son, SunOh, or
B. the housekeeper’s son, bland, boy-next-door, loyal best friend, HyeYung

and my answer is…drumroll, please.

B. HyeYung.

The male lead appears to be SunOh but I think this story is gearing up for the second male lead to win the affections of the heroine Jojo at the end.

I’ll give three reasons.

First, Lao Tzu says, “The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.”

The physical attraction between female lead Jojo and the handsome SunOh is undoubtedly being built up. From Episode 1 alone, I can count 6 encounters:

a. their first eye contact. She rode the bus and he watched her from his car
b. their first meeting on the stairs. Time stood still; students walked past them while they stared at each other
c. their eye contact when the Love Alarm heart-shaped cloud appeared in the sky
d. his discovery of her hiding place in the bushes. He found it curious that she could stare at his face, unlike other people. Despite her request for secrecy, he tattled on her to her boyfriend Il-sik,forcing her to argue with her boyfriend.
e. his pursuit. He followed her after school when he noticed she skipped her bus to work. Although he tried his Love Alarm app, it said that no one within a 10m radius loved him. That’s because she didn’t have the app on her phone. She then provoked him, “If you keep following me, I’ll assume you’re interested in me.” He followed her.
f. and their first kiss.

They had  interesting conversation leading up to the kiss, so I’ll post it.

SonOh: Wait. I’ve something to tell you. (she turned back to look at him) Let’s talk over there. (pointing to a secluded alleyway)
Jojo: (following him without fear) Go ahead. What do you want to say?
SO: Do you want to kiss?

To me, this question is troubling on so many levels.

One, although his friend HyeYung didn’t want to admit it to his face, he knew very well that HyeYung liked JoJo.
Two, he knew too that Jojo had a boyfriend,Il-sik. He saw them quarreling but now he was shamelessly injecting himself into picture to widen their rift.
Three, despite asking if SHE wanted the kiss, it was a no-brainer that HE himself wanted the kiss and that he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Four, his intentions were dubious.

I could think of four reasons he wanted to kiss her, and three of them were perverse:

1) he wanted to thwart his best friend’s love life;
2) he wanted her to feel disconcerted and flustered. Remember: in the bushes he found it odd that she could look at him straight in the eye without being flustered like other girls, and
3) he wanted to break up her relationship with her boyfriend Il-sik.
The fourth *possible* reason he wanted to kiss her was because he found her attractive.

JJ: You must be crazy. I guess you’re joking, but it’s not funny.
SO: I’m not joking.
JJ: If you have nothing else to say, I’m off.
SO: (holding her arm) Where are you going?
JJ: (turning to face him) I’m busy. I’ve work today.
SO: Why do you have to work?
JJ: (leaning against the wall with a sigh) There’s no one else to do it, that’s why. Right, you probably have no idea what it’s like. You live in a mansion.
SO: Mansion?
JJ: Your family is well-off.
SO: (leaning against the wall, too) We are, but my family is embarrassing. I don’t want to talk about it. What about you?
JJ: I’m…I don’t have parents. So I’ve to work to support myself.
SO: You don’t have parents?
JJ: That’s right. Not everyone does.
SO: Then don’t talk about your family. No one will know unless you talk about it first.

lol. He was the one who asked about her parents. He turned to face her again.

JJ: (defensively) What?
SO: You like me don’t you? Then why do you act like you don’t?

He’s psycho. Cute but psycho, as that song goes. To me, he was attracted to her because she was a “forbidden fruit” that is, his best friend liked her and she resisted his wiles.

JJ: No, I don’t. If you turn on your Love Alarm again…
SO: (sticking his face close to hers) Yes, you do.
JJ: Whatever.
SO: Otherwise, why did you follow me here without even knowing what I’d do?

Because she was naïve. She believed that no harm would befall her.

She did the same thing in Ep 2 after her boyfriend Ilsik beat up SunOh and HyeYung. She entered Ilsik’s practice room at night, without anybody around, AND without fear that he’d attack her (i.e., hit her, rape her) in retaliation for two-timing him. I thought she was an idiot here and then for letting herself be alone with a guy in what could potentially be a dangerous situation.

But this is also why I consider SunOh a douchebag-in-the-making. He presumed that he was irresistible and that girls like Jojo *secretly* found him a “turn on” even when they were protesting no. He had an inflated view of his sex appeal.

JJ: That’s because you said you had something to say… (stopping when she saw his face so near hers)
SO: Can I kiss you?
JJ: You weren’t even listening. That’s all you were thinking about, right?
SO: Right. I wasn’t listening. That was all I was thinking about. (she looked away) You have beautiful lips.
JJ: (moving away) I have a boyfriend.
SO: (touching her hair) I know. (touching her cheek)
JJ: He’s also a good fighter. (swatting his hand away) If Il-sik finds out about this, he’ll beat you to a pulp.
SO: Then, I’ll get beaten then.

He held her face then kiss her once. Twice. Ugh.

I’ve to remind myself that she was only 18 years old and easily seduced by sweet words and slick moves. If that had been me, and an acquaintance said something like, “You’ve kissable lips,” I would’ve walked away before I said something richard simmons like, “Oooh! Look, you have richard simmons on your lips. Please wipe it off.” 

Anyway, I’d consider calling attention to the “beauty” of my body parts, i.e., lips, breast, cleavage, waist, hips, anything covered by a bikini, thighs, legs, ankles, etc., inappropriate conversation between non-intimate couples.

Spoiler

Voiceover: If I had the Love Alarm would it have gone off? No. Both of ours would have stayed silent. Because the urge to kiss came before love for both of us. Like the flash of lighting before it thunders.

Spoiler

And welcome to Netflix, kdrama viewers!

You’re no longer in a world that views a kiss as the highlight of the romance, and the culmination of 8 to 10 episodes of relationship-building.  Once you’re in Netflix, you’ve entered the Holly-weird zone where a kiss is simply the precursor to seduction, sexual arousal, and, if you’re lucky, love. The kiss in this Episode 1 signaled the START of an affair that may or may not turn into a real love.

Do you see how the usual kdrama narrative is upended? In kdramas, the relationship comes first before the kiss. In Hollywood productions, the kiss comes first before the relationship. It’s a sad affair of things.

That’s why I view this kissing scene between Jojo and SunOh with cynical eyes. To me, it was just about two hormonal teenagers experimenting with kissing and the angst would necessarily follow because the kiss lacked context.

Moreover, this is where the Lao Tzu’s quotation can explain the situation between Jojo and SunOh.  “The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.” SunOh and Jojo instantly gratified their physical desire and gave in to their lustful feelings.  The flame was bright as the two were moved by the heat of the moment. Jojo admitted that it wasn’t even love.

The mistake of kdrama viewers is to view a Netflix Original with the same rose-tinted glasses as kdramas made by KBS, MBC and SBS.

Now, whether the two lip-locked teenagers would have enough spark and resolve to sustain their passion over time is highly doubtful. For one, SunOh struck me as an impatient guy.  Remember when he couldn’t wait to get in the car and stripped off his shirt to change into the sweatshirt in public? And remember when he kept texting HyeYung when he didn’t reply? Or remember how he wanted the Love Alarm to determine who “won” Jojo right away?

For another, Jojo wouldn’t fit his world.

To me, SunOh didn’t possess the necessary mindset and attitude to work long-term for a distant goal. And Jojo needed stability and dependability that SunOh couldn’t give.

So, that’s one reason I don’t think he’s the OTP.

The second is the moral lesson from the Aesop’s fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare.”  It goes, “Slow but steady wins the race.”

To me, the bike is an important symbolism in Episodes 1 and 2. HyeYung had a bike with a chain that occasionally broke apart.  On the other hand, SunOh got driven by car to school every day. Although he offered HyeYung a ride, HyeYung preferred to cycle to school. It made him sweaty by the time he got to school, but he dealt with it.

Now the unspoken reason he rode the bike was so he could follow Jojo anywhere after school — be it to the bus stop, to their part-time jobs at the barbecue restaurant or to her other part-time work at her Aunt’s store.

His bike represented his devotion to her.

He followed her from afar because he didn’t to burden her with his presence. He was happy when she called for him help at the restaurant to get a grill ready. But he was happy just the same to watch her from the sidelines. He waited for her to get on the bus after their late night shift and watched her fold a paper frog. After she got on the bus, he took the paper frog home as a keepsake.

Unlike SunOh, he was willing to give her space. Remember this conversation, from Episode 1:

HY: She has a boyfriend.
SO: What’s that got to do with you liking her?
HY: You know what. They obviously like each other.
SO: Not all couples like each other.

HyeYung was saying that he respected her boyfriend relationship. He was being considerate of her feelings by not dumping his love confession on her. Nor was he going to meddle with her affair and stir up trouble for her.

Later, in the episode, the driver advised him to go after the girl.

Driver: Hey, when you stormed out of the car yesterday, I totally thought you were going to do something. But what was that?
HY: You want to see me and SunOh fight, don’t you?
Driver: Cut it out. If you like that girl, just go for it. Why do you keep just watching her from afar?
HY: I told you. You got the wrong idea.

Of course, he liked her. After she’d downloaded the Love Alarm app, he was the first one to ring her Love Alarm. She’d been ordered by the restaurant manager to stay till the closing shift, but Hyeyung stepped in to cover for her. She didn’t realize it was him though.

To me, Hyesung knew that if a guy truly likes the girl, then he should NOT just go for it — as the Driver advised. Love is being considerate of the emotions and well-being of the loved one.

Driver: What are you going to do if SunOh falls for her?
HY: What do you mean?
Driver: Who knows? To tell you the truth, my biggest worry is that you two would fall for the same girl. I mean which one of you will give her up?
SO: (interrupting) Hyung, what are you talking about? Is a girl an object that you can give up? (HY stares at him) The lucky girl will have to choose between the two of us.

Here, SunOh advocated forcing the girl to decide. This wouldn’t be Hyesung’s choice of action but that conversation with the driver and SunOh must have changed his mind because that afternoon after school, he decided to look for Jojo.

He biked all the way to Jojo’s second part-time job at her Aunt’s convenience store. And he waited for her to arrive. He sat out there drinking Coke and remembering that she drank Coke, too. When she didn’t show up for her part-time job, he went home when his mom called him looking for SunOh.

I think he saw the two of them, SunOh and Jojo, at the bus stop. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the bicyclist who passed them. But he didn’t say a word to SunOh that night when they met up. Instead, SunOh was the one who kissed-and-told on Jojo.

SO: You like Jojo, don’t you?
HY: (sighing) You’re crazy. Are you at it again?
SO: Yes. I’ll ask until you answer me.
HY: I told you I don’t like her.
SO: Are you sure?
HY: Why do you keep asking? You won’t believe me anyway.

I understand the frustration of viewers here. Why did HyeYung keep denying?

To me, it’s because he knew and understood SunOh’s character. He anticipated SunOh to stop at nothing to get what he wanted. Remember what SunOh said about Jojo’s boyfriend. “What’s that got to do with you liking her?”

SO: (standing up to face him) I kissed Jojo.

HyeYung looked stunned. Then wordlessly, he stood up to leave.

HY: Get changed. You’ll catch a cold.

To me, this scene told me that Hyeyung wouldn’t fight for Jojo after he’d seen that Jojo already made her choice. But this scene also made me suspect SunOh’s character. He’s a jerk.

He could darn well put two and two together so why was he obsessed to hear HyeYung confirm his affections for Jojo? What did it matter to him anyway?

Spoiler

lol. I sometimes wonder whether SunOh felt something more toward HyeYung than the typical male friendship. Was he jealous of HyeYung so he was sabotaging Jojo?

Spoiler

HyeYung’s reticence to confess his emotions for Jojo frustrated SunOh no end. SunOh hounded him like it was his absolute right to know HyeYung’s private and intimate feelings. The following day he chased HyeYung on the way to school.

SO: Aren’t you going to answer me?
HY: What a persistent jerk. Will you keep doing this?
SO: Tell me. Do you really not like Jojo?

HY gave him a look and pedaled away. Then he jerked to a stop making SunOh’s car brake suddenly, too, right beside him.

HY: (calmly) What about you? Why did you kiss her? I’ll answer you question, if you answer mine.

Silence from SunOh. And HyeYung biked away.  To me, he proved his point. How dare SunOh ask for his personal feeling when he wouldn’t confide his true feelings either.

SunOh reached school first, and HyeYung observed him going up the steps. Later, Jojo’s boyfriend came looking for SunOh to beat him up for kissing his girl. HyeYung came running to help SunOhn. After they were both trashed by IlSik, HY and SO discussed Jojo again.

HY: Why did you let him hit you? I said I’d fight instead.
SO: I’m the one who kissed Jojo. (seeing HY fidget beside him) See? You like Jojo.
HY: No, I don’t.
SO: Stop lying. If you keep lying, I can’t help but think that all the things you’ve done for me were not from your heart. So tell me. Do you like Jojo or not?

 

HY: No matter how many times you ask, my answer will remain the same. I don’t like Jojo…because you do.

He changed his tune her. Previously, he just said that he didn’t like Jojo. Now, he added a qualifier. He didn’t like Jojo because his best friend liked her. He was ceding her to SunOh.

SO: Hey. If one kiss means I like her, all the girls I’ve met —
HY: But this time, you’re acting differently. You make it very obvious too. This will go on forever if both of us keep denying it.
SO: You’re right. Let’s not ask each other since we’ll keep lying anyway. Instead you should download Love Alarm too.

Somewhere outside the school, Jojo downloaded the Love Alarm app at the same time as HyeYung.

SO: Let’s trust Love Alarm. The choice is up to Jojo.

And this is my third reason for saying it’s HyeSung is the Love Alarm app. 

I’m guessing that the Love Alarm app was made by DukGu, the guy who was in love with Jojo’s cousin, GulMi. He couldn’t confess to GulMi because he was way out her league so he created an app to express his feelings. However, no matter what he did to win her, she simply was repulsed by him.

DG: (texting) Gulmi, I’m so happy that I finally get to tell you how I feel. There’s something I’d like to give to you today.
GM: (reading the text) He must be out of his mind.
DG: Meet me after school at Miso Park. I’ll wait until you come.
GM: What the hell is wrong with him? I hate this.

Gulmi waited in the restroom until the Love Alarm app said DukGu had left the parameter. She decided to use the app against DukGu, that is, detect his whereabouts so she could avoid him.

To me, that’s THE crucial defect of the Love Alarm app. It’s an imposition. It poses a burden on both the parties alerted by the app. The person in love temporarily gratifies himself with a confession (like DukGu’s declaration to Gulmi) of his feelings. But he’s also imposing his attention onto a person who may or may not be ready to return the feelings. The receiver of the love confession then becomes burdened by the unwanted attention (like Gulmi was).

Additionally, the person in love may expect his love to be reciprocated and to receive a
“tag-back” with his app confession. But when he realizes that his love is unrequited, he may feel helpless and depressed, like DukGu.

DG: I want to stop liking her, but…
JJ: (patting his back) You’re right. I think it’s so unfair that we can’t do anything about what our hearts want.

In this sense, I think HyeYung had the better approach to a love declaration than the Love Alarm app. You see, without the app, he could actually stay within 10m radius of Jojo, without alarming her.

He worked with her in close proximity at the barbecue restaurant.

Spoiler

 

He could observe her cool herself under the fan.

He waited for outside the restaurant after their shift.

He walked with her to the bus stop.

He waited for the bus with her.

And he watched her make a paper frog. lol. He was only a frog’s leap away from her but she didn’t notice him.

 

Not once did she feel awkward with him because the Love Alarm was NOT triggered and their romance wasn’t preempted. To me, love was allowed to follow the normal course of events because HyeYung patiently waited his time till both of he and Jojo were ready for his confession. And that’s how it should be.

So there you go, @lovebangwon. My first and last impressions of Love Alert. Hope this helps — and doesn’t break your heart. 

 

https://bitchesoverdramas.com/2019/08/28/love-alarm-eps-1-and-2-last-impressions/

 

 

[Breeze]

 

 

[TRANS by wowhellosohyun -twitter] 190828 Kakaopage Interview-Talk: Love Alarm Casts' First Impression of each other.

 

 

 

[bright morning]

17 hours ago, elan1 said:

99 percent chance there will be season 2. Director said it depends on feedback and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. 

will netflix give numbers? how do we know the feedback? this drama is my addiction I need more