[Drama 2019] When the Camellia Blooms, 동백꽃 필무렵

[jeonghyang]

- ADORKABLE -

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

- KISS - 

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

Spoiler

 

* with-giggles-to-the-max * 

 

 

- aigooooo! i wanna squeeze her (.)(.) 

[lollyminx]

I'm done watching episode 10. 

 

So many people using the serial killer's favorite "Don't be a joke" line in this episode. 

 

My favorite scenes:

 

The market ahjummas feeling sad that Dong Baek is leaving

 

"Who could stop themselves from loving that person." 

 

Hong Ja Young and the blood spatter  

 

"Pilgu... with flowers" 

 

Dong Baek hearing the voices of the people who love and care for her - Ms. Kwak, her mom, and Yong Sik - while she was talking to Jong Ryeol. 

 

Of course, the kiss. Duh. 

[bebebisous33]

Now, we know why DB left KJR without telling him that she was pregnant. Actually, I understand her reason for the break up. KJR was just selfish and self-centered, kept DB hidden in his flat like a concubine. He was indeed ashamed of her, acted as if he had no girlfriend hence he never allowed her to meet his colleagues and friends. He never cared for her as such, he just enjoyed that she was taking care of him so well. In the episode 10, his behavior really annoyed me. He does perceive DB as someone pitiful, he doesn't even want her to become happy.

Now, the viewer saw that DB put the bracelet into a box, indicating that HM will be the one who steals the bracelet from DB.   

[Latte_Anyday]

WooHoo Yong Shik ah~ as if there weren't enough reasons to love ya already! What a man! That kiss though...hot damn.

 

When he clutched his chest after Pil Goo said he didn't (yet again) want him near his mom - tough LoL. G'luck lil guy 'cause Yong Shik's the best guy for your mom right now; get used to it I love like the drama title, Dong Baek is "blooming" & getting more and more empowered as ep. go on.. I don't even care who the heck is the Joker anymore! But dear GOD PLEASE don't let Dong Baek die?!!?

 

Jong Ryeol - ugh He's a coward period. You want your ex back just 'cause you realised how good you used to have it..?! Are you kidding me right now??! Poor Dong Baek having to stomach through a one sided relationship with a selfish man and she sacrificed so much... and yet, Jong Ryeol still thinks it was her fault!? I have to thank him though, 'cause as Dong Baek pointed out, he made her get to her senses. Your loss Jong Ryeol just focus on your pathetic baseball career

 

Again Yong Shik's mom comes through with some sage advice..and aww~ the nosy ahjummas of Ongsan do care, they're a weird bunch as Dong Baek said LoL. I love seeing how Yong Shik eats! He always eats his meals so heartily, him & Dong Baek are just so silly together..cute too eheh. So please drama...let them be happy please??

[Heretorant]

Just imagine Yong Shik every time DongBaek makes his heart flutter and you’ll know how I feel about this drama. It is refreshing, heart fluttering and thrilling, and I’m all for it! It’s such a delight to watch and the only drama currently airing that has me waiting. I’ve been following along and loving it week after week but today’s kiss really made me feel the need to delurk and express my love for this show. I really couldn’t help but grin and squeal. Weren’t they just too adorable?

 

[bedifferent]

Ohhhh kissss.... 

 

Ratings (E 17/18)=  11%/13.4%

[lu09]

6 hours ago, bebebisous33 said:

Now, we know why DB left KJR without telling him that she was pregnant. Actually, I understand her reason for the break up. KJR was just selfish and self-centered, kept DB hidden in his flat like a concubine. He was indeed ashamed of her, acted as if he had no girlfriend hence he never allowed her to meet his colleagues and friends. He never cared for her as such, he just enjoyed that she was taking care of him so well. In the episode 10, his behavior really annoyed me. He does perceive DB as someone pitiful, he doesn't even want her to become happy.

Now, the viewer saw that DB put the bracelet into a box, indicating that HM will be the one who steals the bracelet from DB.   

Indeed. I was giving him excuses because of his current stressful life along with him finding out he has a son for the first time. Not that I accepted his behaviour around DB and even worse, kept treating her as a pitiful person. But this is another level. The look on his face while he waited for the results and the relief that came afterwards made me furious. I'm glad that she realized although too late that he never appreciated her. He took her for granted and he is now paying the price for it. 

 

Yep, the victim is pretty much HM now. And boy, she made a lot of enemies in a short span of time. I'm looking forward to what the lawyer would do to her before she ends up being a victim lol. 

 

Now I wonder who the Joker really is. I'm suspecting the police Chief, the baseball couch, the technician/ his dad, DB mom, one of the four lady's husbands who are regular in Camellia. It can't be the landlord because he doesn't wear that kind of shoes. Not to mention, she never smiles at him like that so he is out of the list. What do you think chingu?

[lollyminx]

18 minutes ago, lu09 said:

I'm looking forward to what the lawyer would do to her before she ends up being a victim lol. 

Same! I hope Hong Ja Young, future governor of Ongsan , will do something to put Hyang Mi in her place. Also, I hope Jung Ryeol doesn't give in to Hyang Mi's demands. Just let her expose everything. Pil Gu will be sad for a while, but I think it's for the best. The child needs to know who his father is, and it's better that Jung Ryeol doesn't lose to Hyang Mi. Also, Dong Baek needs to face everything head on as her future mother-in-law advised her lol, and I think she's ready so just bring it on Hyang Mi

 

 

[ktcjdrama]

I am wondering why the English translation use "Joker", "Don't be a joke" to translate the mysterious person and the messages.... Just sharing as additional perspective to the story, the Chinese subs translate the person as "Trouble Maker" and the messages as "Don't be cocky/smug" ~ meaning, don't think so full/highly about yourself. I'm interpreting it as someone who doesn't like to see things go well with DB, to see her being happy/successful.

[larus]

Why The Romance Between Gong Hyo Jin And Kang Ha Neul In “When The Camellia Blooms” Appeals To Viewers

TV/Film

Oct 17, 2019

by D. S.kim

 

Since its premiere, KBS’s “When the Camellia Blooms” has been receiving much love from viewers for the special way Dong Baek (Gong Hyo Jin) and Yong Shik (Kang Ha Neul) love each other.

Dong Baek and Yong Shik do not push and pull in the drama. The two do not engage in a vague relationship. Instead, they are honest and straightforward with their feelings. This is the reason the drama is gaining much love and praise from the public – because they show what an honest and innocent relationship is.

Spoiler

In the drama, Dong Baek is someone who lives a life that many may call “unlucky.” She was ignored as a child because she did not have a mother, and as an adult, she has to fight prejudice for having to raise a fatherless child and owning a bar.

Then, Yong Shik appears in her life, and he is the first person to not criticize her. Yong Shik realizes that it’s possible to fall in love with someone in just three seconds, and since then, he is nothing but straightforward with his feelings for Dong Baek. Despite what other people may think, he will always be on Dong Baek’s side.

Dong Baek, a woman with a negative perception of love, begins to open her heart after seeing Yong Shik’s tireless efforts. However, she is unable to enjoy it due to a series of unfortunate events in her life. This includes her mother, who abandoned her as a child, returning as an Alzheimer’s patient. As a result, Dong Baek decides to give up on her relationship with Yong Shik because she does not want to involve him in her misfortune.

 

more https://www.soompi.com/article/1359334wpp/why-the-romance-between-gong-hyo-jin-and-kang-ha-neul-in-when-the-camellia-blooms-appeals-to-viewers

[Nanana85]

i just can hold my tears watching this episode. When the Ahjummas gang gave Dong baek the boxes, their "i don't care but i care about you" expression really touching me.

And when the flashback scene, when Dong baek gave the false testpack, and when she's thinking about how tiny the fetus while staring at the USG's print..

and when the blooming feeling is all around, suddenly they give us the goosebumps again because of the appeareance of the Joker. sigh..

 

Hyang mi is really annoying. she cannot stop blackmailing everyone -- she's definitely the current victim.

Dong baek's mum is suspicious. Where she go?

the cat food's bowl is everywhere..

The Joker is a guy and regular customer of Camellia. Can someone notice him from her sneakers?

 

Management Soop Ig's update

 

[lu09]

@lollyminx I hope she doesn't drop dead before HJY teaches her a lesson. JY imagination of killing her husband while worrying about her new wall made me ROFL. Our future governor knows her priorities lol.

 

@ktcjdrama True. I'm not fluent in Korean but from my experience in watching too many dramas lol, I'm hearing the words as "Don't act up". Indeed, the Joker doesn't like DB being happy and moving on with her life. His last sentence says it all: "This is really annoying". 

[40somethingahjumma]

Just when you think this show can't be better than what it is... dear me... It's perfection... gloriously hitting all the right notes with me. I love it to death. 

 

Yay! The leads finally lock lips... woohoo... Yes! They're so cute at first holding hands like a couple of excited teens... and then she spontaneously pecks him on the cheek. I didn't know it was coming so the surprise was all the more thrilling. 

 

Yong-shik is just freakishly awesome. He's not perfect but he's right for Dongbaek. Even when he is at his clumsiest, he is adorable beyond belief. I genuinely love how his mind works... even his nutty analogies never not resonate. For me the best thing about him is his unfailing confidence in himself and his choices. For some reason that never comes across as arrogant and obnoxious. Perhaps it's the awkwardness that tampers all of that. While he isn't always the brightest light bulb in the room, he is... in a real enough way, a very bright light bulb in a dim sort of room. He is a great person undoubtedly but what makes him magical is that he is the sort of man that DB needs in her life whether she knew it or not. I adored the lobster peeling scene and its follow-up. That alone was worth the price of the episode. She acknowledged its significance and even though she tried to deflect it, he understood the subtext and fell into grumpy silence, refusing to dignify that comment with an answer.  (KHN was delightful here) When she tries to push the nonchalant interpretation of the lobster peeling event, he pushed back with the "The lobster is proof that we both like each other" comment. He is a precious human being and if I were DB I would hold on to him for dear life and never let him go again. Mother be damned. (Sorry for my French) She needs this treasure in her life especially after what she's been through and the show does a good job of selling it.

 

I am so pleased that DB decided to stay... because she wanted to... because she took away the right message from all the well-intentioned chiding. Although I'm not entirely convinced that she's bullied because she's a pushover... the bullies need to take responsibility too... it takes courage to not want to play the victim even if it is easy to. What she needed was a leg up and the simple-minded, honest YS... who doesn't play mind games... was the one to reach out and help her see herself and what she could become.

 

Although I despair over JR's utter lack of respect for DB's perspective and wishes, the only reason why I haven't smashed my iPad every time he comes on is  KJS, who is too good with his pathetic puppy dog pleading. Because of him I can't hate JR and while I revolt at his lack of awareness, I get some of that persistent. He wants a piece of his son. A very big piece. I was certain of the guilt factor but it was gratifying to get confirmation of it right from the horse's mouth. Thankfully DB is strong enough (with a little help here and there) to eschew his attempts to try and play happy families. On top of that, HM's attempts to blackmail him (good for him for not succumbing) has driven him to another level of desperation. I don't think I'm being generous here when I say that there's a part of JR's insanity that is about protecting mother and son. My opinion is that he is more about the son than the mother at this point although things could change if DB keeps growing in confidence. He could convince himself that he's fallen in love with her again down the track.  

On the other hand, I'm glad that he's no pushover where unpleasant women are concerned. Twice he called their bluff but it will be interesting to see how that plays out. However, I want to add that he's the one who exposed mother and son to the fray. If he had thought through and stayed away (even out of self-interest) from Ongsan, things would not have reached this level where they would be vulnerable. So he's in large part responsible for any kind of scandal brewing. 

Not a complete villain but completely self-absorbed.

 

The other thing that made me squee in this episode was the early part where DB was preparing to leave Ongsan. Oddly enough the gossipy neighbourhood ajummas, not just YS, are glum over DB's imminent departure. I loved how this sequence was executed. Brilliant in the showing, subtle in the telling. One by one, the ajummas bring out the empty boxes as if to say how much they've come to like her and were going to miss her. None of them say what they really feel... if they're capable of articulating it... but we, the audience, know this and grin. Even Ms Kwak's confused and cantankerous ramblings is a veil for genuine concern and regret. 

It's a wonderful commentary of those of us who were born and raised in this sort of culture. We don't verbally tell each other much that "I love you. I miss you." but our grumpiness does mask a kind of fondness.  

Not surprisingly YS is deemed an oddity because he is so effusive with his feelings. He is an outlier in such a place but much needed for a woman in desperate need for affirmation.

[lollyminx]

3 hours ago, lu09 said:

JY imagination of killing her husband while worrying about her new wall made me ROFL

She's a hoot. I didn't expect to like her, to be honest, but she's now one of my favorite characters.  I hope to see her chill and have fun in future episodes with her girlfriends. Dong Baek, maybe even the market ahjummas, and Ms. Kwak. 

 

3 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

It's a wonderful commentary of those of us who were born and raised in this sort of culture. We don't verbally tell each other much that "I love you. I miss you." but our grumpiness does mask a kind of fondness.  

 

It also shows how culture sometimes molds us into human beings we don't want to be. The market ahjummas' response to Dong Baek leaving shows they care for her. Did they truly hate Dong Baek when now they're sad she's leaving? It's obvious they don't hate her. But what made them ostracize her in the first place? I think it's a society that taught them othering: (1) that being a single mom is just... weird, (2) that being a single mom is beneath married women, (3) that being a young, single woman who runs a bar is just wrong, or (4) that a young, single woman who runs a bar must be out to steal your husbands.

 

If they lived in a society with a culture that is forgiving to... young, single mothers, for instance, they wouldn't have felt that way about Dong Baek and they would have been friends from the get go. I appreciate the fact that the show teaches us to police our own prejudices because it may be ruining our relationship with others.

[Cosmo-Girl]

@lu09 After watching the latest episode, I'm sure Dong Baek's mum is not suffering from dementia. In fact with all her advice and actions, looks like she was in prison or worked for a detective agency...

 

I really liked that Young Sik told Dong Baek to decide what she wants to do without imposing his opinion. I get that he is pretty tenacious about his feelings, but he does not force her like her landlord. In Dong Baek's case, just expressing feelings doesn't work. She does not trust people generally. So, Young Sik being insistent with his feelings is what made Dong Baek to reciprocate. 

 

That's where Jong Ryeol failed. He may be thinking good for his son and Dong Baek, but forcing her to listen to him was not right especially since he was not even a part of their life until now. Happens in real life as well where people with good intentions try to force their thinking, decisions, and opinions on you. Unless its a child or someone who cannot take rational decisions, it is better if people are allowed to decide on their own.

 

Where Jong Ryeol succeeded was in being firm with Hyang Mi. She thinks she can do anything and people will obey her. Good for her to know that it is not the case with everyone. I just hope Jong Ryeol stands firm till the end without giving in. But, what is preventing him from not disclosing this blackmail to Dong Baek? For that matter, even that landlord, he knows he is in a fix. He knows his wife knows that he is kind of having an affair. If he actually  tells his wife, she will legally stir-fry Hyang Mi and he can escape the blackmail. However, he is a coward and cannot expect much from him unless he gets frustrated enough to kill Hyang Mi. 

 

BTW, I thought that the waitress at the restaurant was Hyang Mi. Is that right? No time to rewatch the episode. 

[Dramanoona]

So nice to see him in a buttoned shirt rather than a t-shirt or his uniform.

*goes back to watching*

 

Edit: Tell me ONE person (besides DB and Pil-Gu and Yong Shik) who would not be the one to kill Hyang Mi...

[40somethingahjumma]

2 hours ago, lollyminx said:

 

It also shows how culture sometimes molds us into human beings we don't want to be. The market ahjummas' response to Dong Baek leaving shows they care for her. Did they truly hate Dong Baek when now they're sad she's leaving? It's obvious they don't hate her. But what made them ostracize her in the first place? I think it's a society that taught them othering: (1) that being a single mom is just... weird, (2) that being a single mom is beneath married women, (3) that being a young, single woman who runs a bar is just wrong, or (4) that a young, single woman who runs a bar must be out to steal your husbands.

 

Perhaps...

But I think it's a bit more complicated than that because they didn't outright ostracize her. At least not in the way I understand ostracize.  Certainly not if they were giving her kimchi regularly even if grudgingly . Marginalized maybe. However, I'd agree that they had mixed feelings about her because they're largely conformists who clung to certain cultural norms but she was something of a freak show in a largely homogenous community. Still they weren't entirely "bad" human beings because there was an element of pity... condescending though it was.

Sometimes I wonder if they were up in arms about her because she was a single mother or whether it was the fact that she was the quintessential outsider. It sounds like I'm splitting hairs but I think that there is a difference. I'm not entirely sure if being a single mother was ultimately at the root of their bullying or the fact that she was a single mother that owned a bar which the men frequented regularly. It always felt like to me she was perceived as a rival. Could it be entirely attributed to prejudice or was it more run-of-the-mill jealousy? I tend to think that they resent her encroachment of their space more than her status as single mother.

All interesting things to think about.

 

_________________________________

 

14 hours ago, bebebisous33 said:

 

Now, the viewer saw that DB put the bracelet into a box, indicating that HM will be the one who steals the bracelet from DB.   

 

It does seem like confirmation they're setting HM up to be Joker's next victim. But as she's been playing a very dangerous game, it can't come as any great surprise. Although why the Joker might care about what HM is doing to other men is still a mystery. I don't think we know why the Joker kills the people he has at this stage to even understand his modus operandi which seems to be all over the place.

 

A crazy thought: We don't know who DB's father is, do we?

[Dramanoona]

And I repeat... I need a Yong Shik!

But the ending scene did make me really realise why Yong Shik fell in love with Dong Baek. He saw her bloom like the camellias. She grew stronger and he saw how she was meek in the beginning but now she can protect herself.

He looked so proud.

[lollyminx]

1 hour ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

Could it be entirely attributed to prejudice or was it more run-of-the-mill jealousy?

I think it's both. Prejudice because of cultural norms, jealousy because their husbands are frequenting Camellia AND also jealousy because Dong Baek is different and she doesn't put herself in a cage unlike the ahjummas. In my opinion, they're also secretly jealous that although Baek looks pitiful by their standards, she's in control of her life and doesn't feel the need to conform.

 

Take Hong Ja Young, for instance. She used to take pride in having a husband even if her marriage is falling apart. Ongsan women take much pride in being part of the norm, but I think deep inside, they also feel jealous (and also amazed) that Dong Baek doesn't feel the pressure to conform. Maybe that's it? 

[Dramanoona]

Sigh.

The harder you try to grab the wind, the more it will disipate.

KR is absolutely pitiful in the sense that he realised too late what he has already lost. It's just desperation.

Genes do not make one a father. He doesn't realise the disruption he is bringing into DB and PG's lives.

 

Now, I am sure Joker is male. So that eliminates the ajummas and her mom. LOL.