[Drama 2019] Extraordinary You / Suddenly One Day, 어쩌다 발견한 하루 - 2019 MBC Drama of the Year

[sweetpunze25 125]

2 hours ago, larrysouth said:

A question for the folks about Korean ladies fashion.  Are Korean high school ladies allowed to actually wear skirts so short to school.  I am no prude but I was actually a little shocked to see how short some of the student's skirts were and how much leg they show.  I know that as a father this would make me very uncomfortable to know my daughter dressed like that.  I also found it interesting that their was such a wide variety of different shirts, blouses, dresses, skirts, jackets, etc that one could wear and still be counted as wearing a uniform.  I thought the whole point of wearing uniforms was to make everyone the same and be less able to make class distinctions between the wealthy and poor so that everyone gets treated the same.  I am clearly missing something and it seems a lot more noticeable in this series compared to some other school series.

I've seen HS girls in Korea in their uniforms and their skirts are that high. I don't know if the school allows it, but outside of the campus, their skirts are pretty short, maybe they hike it up when they are off campus, not sure. 

[nateko 6,139]

3 hours ago, larrysouth said:

A question for the folks about Korean ladies fashion.  Are Korean high school ladies allowed to actually wear skirts so short to school.  I am no prude but I was actually a little shocked to see how short some of the student's skirts were and how much leg they show.  I know that as a father this would make me very uncomfortable to know my daughter dressed like that.  I also found it interesting that their was such a wide variety of different shirts, blouses, dresses, skirts, jackets, etc that one could wear and still be counted as wearing a uniform.  I thought the whole point of wearing uniforms was to make everyone the same and be less able to make class distinctions between the wealthy and poor so that everyone gets treated the same.  I am clearly missing something and it seems a lot more noticeable in this series compared to some other school series. 

Well if we take the K-fashion as a whole, not just in the high-school setting, then generally they think that showing even a little bit of cleavage is considered to be very sexual and scandalous, but wearing ridiculously short skirts and shorts is the norm, it's not frowned upon and girlies all over Korea do wear them. Where is the logic in that I have no idea. Where I live wearing such short skirts/shorts would be considered a bit much. As for high-schools, the uniforms that I've seen when I was in S. Korea had skirts that were just above the knee, not this short as they show in the drama, but maybe that's how it was for middle schoolers. I've seen some high school girls that had short skirts but I've also noticed that some of them wear the skirts pretty high up the waist to deliberately shorten them  As for the uniform customization, it's pretty extreme in the drama, I don't think it reflects the real world, but nowadays kids are allowed to use accessories, back in the day they would be in trouble for that but it seems that high schools are becoming more lenient. Still, I'd say a drama is a drama and it has sponsored clothing that gets styled a certain way to appeal not only to high schoolers but to all young ladies who are watching. I've already seen some girls on K-forums asking around where to buy all these bows and pins that the girls are using on their blouses. 

[Nymeria289 22,274]

Baek Kyung did not kill Danoh...he did remove her Oxygen mask but put it back on when realized that he was doing the same thing to her like the previous story....Danoh just died as was intended in shadow....ans she was stable when Haru walked in

As for what I feel about Kyung....up until the revelation he has been pretty one note...atleast that's how he is written...a guy desperately holding on to his Manhwa storyline as his silver lining and Danoh as well...does he love Dan Oh, yes...in the most toxic, complicated way possible ..did he love her in Trumpet Creeper....I think he did but he was not self aware as much as he is in here...hence he regretted putting that sword in her...I must applaud Lee Jae Wook here....writers of the drama has given him a pretty black and white canvas...nuances were added by him...or else in the hands of a lesser actor, I can say with confidence, this would be a disaster...I for one liked that they pushed him to the point of almost killing Dan Oh in shadow...his burden is heavier in the shadow...that's gotta mess you up...I liked that he backed away with realization that he doesn't have to stay the same as the previous Manhwa...where selfishness, ego drove every part of his actions, its up to him to do things differently....It also gives me hope that he will be the one reuniting Dan Oh with Haru...we will have to wait and watch

[Jillia 142,137]

@larrysouth

I agree with @nateko. When I lived in South Korea women in general were dressing up a lot. Or at least it would be considered "dressed up" where I live. In university female students were dressed from wearing short skirts to casual wear. Yet I always felt underdressed. I think with school, especially middle and highschool, it really depends what kind of school you attend. I'm sure in a Catholic school the dress code is much more strict than in other schools. Yet, I don't see dramas as a norm for how students look like. I would take Sky Castle as a more realistic representation. In some dramas you can see a teacher checking students if their skirts are too short or the male students wear their dress shirts and ties properly. I think a certain customization is permitted but when it goes too far students probably have to fix their appearance. In EY there is one female student who is wearing some sort of net stockings. I'm pretty sure you can't wear those at school in South Korea.

[enigmatic_zephy 14,805]

2 hours ago, Nymeria289 said:

Baek Kyung did not kill Danoh...he did remove her Oxygen mask but put it back on when realized that he was doing the same thing to her like the previous story....Danoh just died as was intended in shadow....ans she was stable when Haru walked in

As for what I feel about Kyung....up until the revelation he has been pretty one note...atleast that's how he is written...a guy desperately holding on to his Manhwa storyline as his silver lining and Danoh as well...does he love Dan Oh, yes...in the most toxic, complicated way possible ..did he love her in Trumpet Creeper....I think he did but he was not self aware as much as he is in here...hence he regretted putting that sword in her...I must applaud Lee Jae Wook here....writers of the drama has given him a pretty black and white canvas...nuances were added by him...or else in the hands of a lesser actor, I can say with confidence, this would be a disaster...I for one liked that they pushed him to the point of almost killing Dan Oh in shadow...his burden is heavier in the shadow...that's gotta mess you up...I liked that he backed away with realization that he doesn't have to stay the same as the previous Manhwa...where selfishness, ego drove every part of his actions, its up to him to do things differently....It also gives me hope that he will be the one reuniting Dan Oh with Haru...we will have to wait and watch

if he didn't kill.. i bet it is his brother who killed

 

the brother has suddenly got more lines.. and his only objective seems to be Baek Kyung's happiness

so he killed DO.. pretty sure in trumpet also he egged on BK 

[Jillia 142,137]

I really have many thoughts on the episode though. Despite the editing or maybe because of that there was a lot going on. And I have some theories but can barely put them into words.

 

I think it's true Kyung did put the mask back on but actually the monitor went off with an alarm because the oxygen supply rate went down by removing the mask. We don't know for how long Kyung stood there until he put the mask back on. When Ha Ru comes back in the alarm is still going. And then Dan Oh's heartrate goes down and she dies. We will never now what actually lead to Dan Oh's death. But I think in this episode Ha Ru and Kyung are not so different. Yes, they ARE different in character but both of them found out something today. The episode started off with Kyung telling Ha Ru that he killed Dan Oh, that it's because of Ha Ru that Dan Oh died and possibly will die. But the episode ended with Kyung realizing that he played a big part in it as well. It's a wakeup call... when he said "I'm not so different from back then".

 

Ha Ru believes he killed Dan Oh in "Trumpet Creeper" but actually it was Kyung who pushed the sword to stab Dan Oh. On stage yes, but the image is there. Both their hands clutching the sword. There is a reason why this scene was cut in after Kyung took off the mask.

But then in "Secret" Ha Ru's actions lead to a change of the stage and actually Joo Da's grandma gets the surgery Dan Oh was supposed to get and survives. I wonder whether Dan Oh would've been healthier after receiving the surgery or if she would've died depending on blood values. We also will never know. But anyways just like "Trumpet Creeper" it was like Ha Ru and Kyung were again stabbing Dan Oh together. Of course reasons were different back then, Ha Ru didn't want to stab Dan Oh and Kyung wanted to kill Dan Oh for the sake of his power game. Here both want to save Dan Oh (we can argue about Kyung all along but the thought of actually letting her die was there - knowing she would come back without memories) but their actions lead to her death anyways.

 

(my brain is just having so many thoughts... like... what a chaos. I hope you know what I mean )

 

And then of course Dan Oh's heart going off as soon as she is near Ha Ru. I wonder what the reason was? In the past, her heart would go off but not because of her disease but simply because her heart would recognize him. But now it's connected with the pain from her heart disease. Is this something the writer controls as well?

 

On another note: I'm suspicious about Kyung's brother. He is creepy. I wonder whether he will actually play a bigger role than we think. How could he know that killing someone in the shadow would lead to memory loss? Nobody told him. But he seems to remember everything from "Trumpet Creeper". So what if... he was the one who ordered to kill Su Hyang in the shadow. I'm very certain the stage death was ordered by Kyung. But in the shadow I could imagine he would do something like that. He seems devoted to his brother - just like in "Secret" - and he would possibly do anything to ensure his brother the throne.

[larrysouth 2,349]

@Jillia That is a very interesting theory and it does make sense.  Of course in real life it would be very difficult to do what BK did.  After my wife's heart surgery, she had about 5 different machines, twenty-two IV's, and at least 4 tubes going into her.  The slightest change in any of those things would have set off alarms and a very quick response from the medical staff.  While, I was in the hospital with my wife, she had two nurses assigned to her and out of three hours of time, I would say there was only a total of 15 minutes where I was the only person in the room but never 15 minutes straight.

 

I agree that BK and HR both played a role in what happened to Dan-Oh.  I think this is why Jinmiche is so strong in his urgings for all the aware characters not to mess with the stage.  His experience down this road was horrific and he wants to instill caution in anyone considering changing the stage because they can really never know what the eventual outcome will be (butterfly effect).

 

BK's brother.  He just gives me the creeps.  I am getting that "Children of the Corn" vibe off of him.

 

[Jillia 142,137]

We need to protect Rowoon aka Ha Ru and Jung Gun Joo aka Do Hwa at all cost. These cuties were filming, Hye Yoon was there as well and so were Lee Jae Wook and Baek Hyun Sung aka Kyung's brother.

[larrysouth 2,349]

6 minutes ago, Jillia said:

We need to protect Rowoon aka Ha Ru and Jung Gun Joo aka Do Hwa at all cost. These cuties were filming, Hye Yoon was there as well and so were Lee Jae Wook and Baek Hyun Sung aka Kyung's brother.

Ok, how is it that everyone else appears to be wearing coats and gloves but 2 of our E3 members are only wearing suit jackets?  It looks cold out there.  Let's send them warm thoughts.

[nrllee 12,126]

7 hours ago, larrysouth said:

Please continue to support BK in the series and promote his cause.  I find him interesting and in the end we should at least be hoping for his eventual turn around

O I am not put off .  Robust discussions are where it’s at.  My analysis of BK was very long and probably a lot of it would’ve been covered piecemeal through this thread and in various other sites already so I sent it to the interested reader in a message as a result.

 

What really piqued my interest about BK was the fact that the screenwriters of this drama decided to paint him in such a bad light.  Especially seeing his webtoon counterpart was supposedly a lot softer and grey.  In contrast HR has zero flaws and is pretty straightforward and obvious.  Why would they do that?  So my interest in BK’s character set up was therefore elevated because I am also wondering how the screenwriter will choose to redeem him, if at all.  Maybe he will be like Gollum.    But Lord of the Rings wasn’t among the list of books on the shelf used as inspirations for this drama.  The only character in that list that I can see being so tarnished as a character is Shylock.  He was given the chance to proffer mercy but he chose not to give it.  
 

@celebrianna

Your example about complaining workers is interesting.  In the context of this drama then, the boss would be the writer.  So far, HR is the only one who hasn’t “complained” about the boss/writer.  Everyone else has blamed the boss for their situation.  So he’s the one who is the most interesting then because he’s bucked the trend.  One could argue he really has nothing to complain about because he has no family breathing down his neck (no expectations familial or societal), he has no home, no bills to pay - he lives in the school library doing what he wants all the time.   There are really no expectations at all placed on him.  He is a totally free agent.  His only reason for existence is DO.  He has no reason to complain really.  Conversely that also makes him very unrealistic as a character?  That’s why he always seemed otherworldly for me because someone like him doesn’t exist in real life.  Everyone born into the world has some form of external expectations placed on them by family or society.  But his character is interesting in that he approaches the “problem” of DO’s health differently.  He doesn’t curse the writer, he doesn’t bemoan the circumstances or how unfair it is, he works with what he’s been given and “experiments” to enact change within those parameters.  He doesn’t look at the perceived parameters and just wallow in despair.  He remains undaunted in the face of setbacks.  So if you want to go really meta with it then HR’s character is the one to aspire to be like.  Everyone has been allotted a certain “set up” in life, you can choose to bemoan how someone else has it better than you and therefore excuse yourself from living your best life given the parameters, or you can choose to be like HR/DO, they were at their happiest when they forgot about trying to “change” her set up, when they stayed in the moment and lived the best life they could with the time allotted to them.  Quality of life Vs Quantity.  

[sal2 3,217]

finally got to watch lates episodes. frankly I have been hesitating after reading some spoilers.... so yeah really heartbreaking two hour for our characters. So sad seeing how Dan oh trying to be so brave even though she is so scared and ended with death in the shadow... Seeing Haru going true the turmoil of even thinking killed her. But wow BK move his sword. for all the big words he is spitting to Haru in the end he should be the one with biggest guilt. I wonder if this gonna turn him around to do the right things, or become even worse.... 

 

I see many people say ep. 25-26 did no have any plot movement. om some way I agree. But to me that episode was about how our characters deal with terminal illness and their fears. really speak true about what people and their loved one is going true mentally. I am glad drama writer gave time for this for Dan oh, Haru and BK. sometime I think we are waiting for plot point after plot point so we forget to dive into our characters psychology. to me this is important for us to understand them and what they are thinking. I just really love Dan oh positive attitude even in her worst state. I need a little bit of her spirit.  

 

I hope after so much misery next week is looking up on us in a more happy place and that our characters are happy. 

 

 

 

[Jillia 142,137]

5 hours ago, larrysouth said:

Ok, how is it that everyone else appears to be wearing coats and gloves but 2 of our E3 members are only wearing suit jackets?  It looks cold out there.  Let's send them warm thoughts.

Hahaha, I was wondering about it as well. Temperatures are definitely going down in South Korea as well and inbetween the filming, especially Hye Yoon, are wearing blankets around the legs. They definitely need to take care of eachother and their health.

 

Also, that picture is really 100% Kyung's brother. I'm not sure what the drama will make out of him becaus we only got 2 hours worth episodes left. But still... he is so shady, especially towards Ha Ru. If remembers everything from "Trumpet Creeper" that could definitely be a reason.

 

Btw in the conversation with his brother it almost sounded like Kyung wants to kill himself in the shadows? So maybe that's foreshadowing what will happen in the end? But that's a stretch. I really can't predict how this drama is going to end.

 

EDIT:

 

My reaction to people on social media who say Dan Oh isn't worthy of Kyung:

There is one thing to discuss him as a character but another to be blatantly ignorant his many flaws and blaming Dan Oh for it.

[Nymeria289 22,274]

@nrllee your analysis about Haru is spot on....Its not in his control that he is an Extra with sole purpose of being a friend/lackey to Kyung...so he has no family, house or relations, what is surprising is he doesn't care much about that....his friendships are all through Dan Oh...Saemi, Sochul and Deo Hwa all know him via Dan Oh....if you lay out the fact the only reason he even attempted to change the stage for Deo Hwa was because of Dan Oh...he is not particularly invested in anything else....he always sits alone, he is not particularly friendly like Deo Hwa or Jin Michae or does not seek them out....Dan Oh on the other hand has a dad, friends, family and all of that mean something to her...in other words as magical as it all looks...their relationship is off balance in a way...I always found it odd.....don't get me wrong, I love them together....but where is it all headed?? I sometimes wonder that.

[Jillia 142,137]

The mood though...

Spoiler

 

 

Credit: okashiratsuki

[bee_wannabe 398]

1 hour ago, Jillia said:

Btw in the conversation with his brother it almost sounded like Kyung wants to kill himself in the shadows? So maybe that's foreshadowing what will happen in the end? But that's a stretch. I really can't predict how this drama is going to end.

 

Interesting theory. This triggers my thought, 

Spoiler

We know from the webtoon that DH killed himself in the shadow out of guilt for what his family has done to JD. The drama tends to adapt some parts of the webtoon and apply it in different way to the drama. So what if they use this trope for BK instead of DH? What if BK in TC killed himself in the shadow out of guilt for what he's done to HR, DO, and his own brother JMC? BK might start to gain his awareness in TC. And the last look when he pulled his hand out of the sword after killing DO, it could be confusion, shock, or guilt. His step bro who witness BK's suicide in TC and know that it's actually not BK's fault because the mastermind of all that is his father (the minister) and BK can only move the way the writer wanted it, felt bad for BK. Therefore he wants to protect BK in secret manhwa so that BK doesnt have to go to the same pain.

 

We havent seen the closure of TC yet. Did the manhwa end with BK becoming a king? Then what about HR? I think they need to put a closure of what happened with HR and BK after DO's death in TC. This may give answers to how HR can come to secret and how BK bro seems to know it all, and like JMC, insists on keeping the story as the way the writer draws it.

[nrllee 12,126]

2 hours ago, bee_wannabe said:

We havent seen the closure of TC yet. Did the manhwa end with BK becoming a king?

In the confrontation scene between Squid and BK at the lockers with Squid’s past love, she was holding a comic with a pink cover. I think she’s reading TC.  so maybe we will find out through her.

[Jillia 142,137]

1 hour ago, bee_wannabe said:

 

Interesting theory. This triggers my thought, 

  Hide contents

We know from the webtoon that DH killed himself in the shadow out of guilt for what his family has done to JD. The drama tends to adapt some parts of the webtoon and apply it in different way to the drama. So what if they use this trope for BK instead of DH? What if BK in TC killed himself in the shadow out of guilt for what he's done to HR, DO, and his own brother JMC? BK might start to gain his awareness in TC. And the last look when he pulled his hand out of the sword after killing DO, it could be confusion, shock, or guilt. His step bro who witness BK's suicide in TC and know that it's actually not BK's fault because the mastermind of all that is his father (the minister) and BK can only move the way the writer wanted it, felt bad for BK. Therefore he wants to protect BK in secret manhwa so that BK doesnt have to go to the same pain.

 

We havent seen the closure of TC yet. Did the manhwa end with BK becoming a king? Then what about HR? I think they need to put a closure of what happened with HR and BK after DO's death in TC. This may give answers to how HR can come to secret and how BK bro seems to know it all, and like JMC, insists on keeping the story as the way the writer draws it.

I guess:

Spoiler

 

that the stage also ended for Kyung in "Trumpet Creeper" and since we can't really hold them accountable for what they do on stage maybe he didn't expect his character to act the way he did, pushing the sword instead of Ha Ru.

 

Usually in sageuks the parents are always the ones who are pushing their offspring into positions in order to gain power. So I definitely could see Kyung's father being like that and especially being the stereotypical power hungry minister who keeps framing good people in order to come closer to the throne.

 

I mean what they do in the shadows that's something that can't be blamed on the writer. And sageuk!Kyung was certainly terrible there as well - in the end it was somewhat his plan to manipulate Dan Oh in order for her to like him.

 

No, we haven't seen the conclusion for "Trumpet Creeper" yet. But I wonder what happened to Ha Ru and Kyung after Dan Oh died. Did Ha Ru get executed as well? Was it all turned so he is the loyal assassin? Was Kyung's younger brother actually part of the master plan?

 

I could see Kyung dying in the end. I said from the beginning I would wish for him to have a clean cut. To either become a unaware extra without a setup or a character who actually finds love in another manhwa. So at this point I think that's one way to conclude his character arc and give him some type of redemption.

 

 

I'm still wondering about the surgery though. I hope Joo Da's grandma is really fine. She received the surgery which was meant for Dan Oh. The surgery she received is a high risk for strokes and so on. I know there are only 2 episodes left and I don't think:

Spoiler

they will follow the webtoon. But still... I don't have good feeling when it comes to Joo Da. I'm so inbetween rooting for her but also worrying she might lose it if something goes terribly wrong. 

 

[nimon 112]

4 hours ago, Jillia said:

Btw in the conversation with his brother it almost sounded like Kyung wants to kill himself in the shadows? So maybe that's foreshadowing what will happen in the end? But that's a stretch. I really can't predict how this drama is going to end.

 

tbh if kyung ends up killing himself in the shadows for all the guilt he feels for doing that in secret and in trumpet creeper it wouldn't feel like a satisfying end to his character?? he did alot of wrong things to all the characters especially to dan oh and haru and it would be better if he atleast asked them for forgiveness than just choosing to forget everything (it would be really tormenting on harus side to have him the only aware one on what has went on with everything while kyung and dan oh enjoys the bliss of ignorance and unawareness, its unfair) but then again, i can see it happening with kyungs selfish tendencies but i hope they dont do that T___T (or atleast his brother doesnt attempts to do that to him to make hin forget everything and restore the balance of the manhwa) 

[Jillia 142,137]

51 minutes ago, nimon said:

tbh if kyung ends up killing himself in the shadows for all the guilt he feels for doing that in secret and in trumpet creeper it wouldn't feel like a satisfying end to his character?? he did alot of wrong things to all the characters especially to dan oh and haru and it would be better if he atleast asked them for forgiveness than just choosing to forget everything (it would be really tormenting on harus side to have him the only aware one on what has went on with everything while kyung and dan oh enjoys the bliss of ignorance and unawareness, its unfair) but then again, i can see it happening with kyungs selfish tendencies but i hope they dont do that T___T (or atleast his brother doesnt attempts to do that to him to make hin forget everything and restore the balance of the manhwa) 

I mean in the end they need to write it in a way it's believable to a point we think of Kyung as deserving of redemption. Some might think he already is. I don't think so. Yes, he got a reality check, just like Ha Ru, with how everything just went wrong with changing the stage but also him taking off the mask. And then finding out it was him who actually killed Dan Oh in "Trumpet Creeper". He is not that perfect character with a tragic setup that apparently gives him permission to treat people like garbage. The whole time Kyung turned Ha Ru into a scapegoat in order to feel better about himself instead of facing his own flaws. Now the next episode will show if he learned anything from it.

 

Also, Ha Ru needs to learn about the truth as well. I'm not sure if it will make a big difference because he still held that sword and the image of Dan Oh dying supposedly at his hand is etched on his memory. But I think the guilt is so big he needs to be relieved from that at least. 

 

I still see Ha Ru as a character who learns how to be a personality. He came into this world pretty much like a baby. Slowly starting to speak, being surprised of the sound of his voice. Then finding out that he is an extra without any purpose in "Secret", wandering around, drawing in order to remember. Then Dan Oh becomes aware and from there everything changes. He is losing his awareness and when he becomes aware again old Ha Ru and new Ha Ru merge. He has a setup now but still no home to go to. Also had to laugh a bit when someone said that Do Hwa is Ha Ru's best friend but they can't believe it because Ha Ru acts like he doesn't care much about Do Hwa. I think next to Do Hwa everyone looks not really responsive. Heck, even Kyung and Nam Joo can't take all the skinship. So there is that.

 

How people can say though he is more straightforward is beyond me. When it comes to him voicing his feelings and opinions I appreciate how straightforward he is but his whole being is so complicated and painful. Yes on the outside he got it all, the girl, a good character - even though not without fault - but I think what the last episode showed as well is he doesn't have it all. His character on stage isn't supposed to be with Dan Oh plus he has to be Kyung's friend. And Dan Oh said it as well... this whole manhwa is cruel to them all. 

[angelbeast90 6,233]

Why does he keep creeping up uninvited! He does not even say hello just goes right into questioning mode!

---------------------

 

Some Random thoughts : Haru would be aware that someone tipped the handle of his sword forward at the time it happened. So I hope he becomes aware of that incident in an objective way soon enough!

 

Maybe DO will have to fall off the stairs again to become self aware!! Haru will be there to catch her I hope!