[Drama 2019-2020] Woman of 9.9 Billion, 99억의 여자

[40somethingahjumma]

6 hours ago, Nymeria289 said:

Casa Del Zorro made me laugh out so loud....Leon...this guy is into branding

 

I rolled my eyes and thought... "You gotta be kidding". That was dreadful. Honestly. Does the show really have to sledgehammer the point?

Leon is such a cartoony villain. 

 

22 hours ago, triplem said:

Am I the only one sad the ship to Tahiti ain’t gonna sail ? 

 

Very sad dear. But what to do? There are still 2 more episodes of money grubbing to go. Until SY love affair with moolah ends, she ain't going nowhere.

 

9 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

 

As for the husband, although he impressed me with his unexpected skills and brain, I don’t really care what happened to him as I don’t see any redemption possible for his arrogance. 

 

One of the biggest issues that I have with this drama is that it's a bit crowded to the point that things feel fillery.

HIP should have been killed off already. He is not really needed in this drama at this point. There's nothing he does that couldn't have been done by someone else. In the early days, okay yeah to show how downtrodden SY was. 

 

HIP may be amusing on some level but he's taking up unnecessary oxygen in the room.

 

[Fabbo]

Hm i am curious with how they conclude the character arks. I am not sure if he will survive. After all his abuse was brought up again in the last episode i don't see him getting a redemption. He goes further in his path of greed and revenge. Maybe he and Leon even kill each other so TW doesn't have the blood on his hands. They just have to make it happen in a way that it won't be some kind of heroic sacrifice.

 

I agree there were some great scenes about HJ and Jaehoon.

 

19 hours ago, lumibear said:

Jae Hun was so frustrating in the first half, but I did feel a little bad for him after seeing him with his daughter and him wanting some time away from Hee Ju. So many things she had said to him sounded like she was speaking to a child. Yes, he was acting like one too. I can feel his sincerity though. He was trying hard to solve the problem for his wife, giving up his pride when he has nothing else to give. Certainly different from his character in the beginning.

 

I realized that these two truly love each other. However, they have to fix their problems with communication and trust in order to save their relationship.

 

Yes kind of. But he's also an habitual cheater. There is this "He loves his family and child very much, but hey he is also just a man.." sentiment in the drama or in some comments.

 

20 hours ago, lebeaucouple said:

Will Lee Jae-Hoon die eventually, i am not sure, but I pity him in today EP.  He was the one who love his daughter and tried to prove himself as a good husband to his wife. He even kneel down (lower his pride) to beg for Leon help. Once again, since primitive days,  man needs to prove himself for what? His capability to protect his woman and family. 

 

Yes there are obviously problems from both sides in their relationship.

But there is this sentiment here that irrks me. HJ has always put him down, he always has to prove himself. So he didn't feel like a man anymore so he went and richard simmons around a bit. But it was just sex. The idea that the fault is really at the wife because she let it happen. It's something you would have the mistress saying in a lot of makjang/family dramas and always sounds ridiculous. Basically "Isn't it also your fault because you didn't have your house under control?" That sentiment is here as well just not as spelled out.

I wonder if they adress it again. I feel like it's glossed over. And with him killing people there are bigger fishes to fry.

I also wonder if they are going to adress HJ's murders again. Or maybe not because killing killer's doesn't really count.

 

But yeah I definitely see some kind of redemption ark for Jaehoon going on here. The question is what it involves. Yes he has his new found appreciation for his family and even for his wife. But i think that's mostly about appreciating what he has and would have to give up. Does he even feel bad about his infidelities? I don't mean in a broader sense of Oh ' i harmed my family ' but in his personal relationship with his wife. 

 

Does he confess his murders and lands in jail? And it is broken but repaired family from there on out? 

Does he somehow sacrifice himself and dies for his family? Would be a bit cruel for his daughter but he killed of the mom as well. That would also lead to HJ hitting rock bottom which might something they want to go for. She got revenge on Leon for what he did to her parental family but she realizes what she lost on that way.

 

 

[ktcjdrama]

 @40somethingahjumma I don't think I have ever seen you detest a character as much as HIP. Allow me to quote:

 

20 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

I hope the husband dies by drowning under a lot of cold, preferably freezing water.

 

1 hour ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

HIP may be amusing on some level but he's taking up unnecessary oxygen in the room.

 

[40somethingahjumma]

44 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

 @40somethingahjumma I don't think I have ever seen you detest a character as much as HIP. Allow me to quote:

 

Possibly not.

But actually no, I don't detest him nearly as much as I do those scheming mothers from 50 episode weekend makjang. For them I reserve most of my venom.

This is why for my sanity I avoid those like the plague.

 

HIP is a horrible human being undoubtedly but these days he's more comic relief than psychopathic.

[gladys57]

4 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

 

Possibly not.

But actually no, I don't detest him nearly as much as I do those scheming mothers from 50 episode weekend makjang. For them I reserve most of my venom.

This is why for my sanity I avoid those like the plague.

 

HIP is a horrible human being undoubtedly but these days he's more comic relief than psychopathic.

 

I did mention in my earlier post that HIP's character ironically brings comedic relief to this orherwise dark drama which has touted comedy as 1 of its theme besides romance and action.

@The_Doctor they have to keep HIP alive to maintain its ratings as he's a very popular actor in Korea.

 

Unlike some of you here, I'm still very optimistic that SY and TW will have a happy ending!

How can KKW & JYJ, 1 of my favourite Kdrama pairings not having a happy ending? 

[Fabbo]

Yeah there is some serious tension between them. I kinda hoped that it explodes into some serious make out session at some point. But now i feel like it's going to be a semi ambigious ending with both looking at each other in a plane or something like that.

[lebeaucouple]

7 hours ago, Fabbo said:

 The idea that the fault is really at the wife because she let it happen. It's something you would have the mistress saying in a lot of makjang/family dramas and always sounds ridiculous. Basically "Isn't it also your fault because you didn't have your house under control?" That sentiment is here as well just not as spelled out.

I wonder if they adress it again. I feel like it's glossed over. And with him killing people there are bigger fishes to fry.

I also wonder if they are going to adress HJ's murders again. Or maybe not because killing killer's doesn't really count.

 

Yes, you spot on it. The wife, HJ, is part of the fault in their marriage. She is always too harsh on him especially on the words she used on him, quite disrespectful. Can you imagine if you were the husband and being accused for "handicapped", how would you feel as a man, it would totally destroy man ego and pride. Don't get me wrong, I totally disagreed with the adultery and the lies and murder that he involved, but it is up to his partner's acceptance/tolerance level that may be pay for a high cost.

 

In this case, HJ is strong in her personality, she loves her husband dearly (shown on the last part of the EP) she can accept all his flaws just to save her marriage and her family, she learnt her lesson by accepting his value. Someone asked why HJ chose him, well, only she can tell, but there must be some qualities on him, such as shown sincere caring to her and her daughter at the beginning of their marriage...even now, he still shown caring for their daughter and concern over his wife foundation business. To be frank, these type of couples are existing in reality.

 

If HJ kept emplifying her husband's flaws (all his past wrong doing), she will never never get over it in her entire life time. To her, it would be a heavy burden to live on it. It is wise for her to face it, accept it, deal with it, let it go. Having said that doesn't mean I agreed with HJ's action to cover up for her husband's murder case. I will leave the conclusion to the writer's hand. But I could see their problem can be resolved because they still love each other dearly, but realised it with limited time left...

 

To set oneself free, one should learn the following four steps in dealing with any problem: Face it, accept it, deal with it, let it go.

 

A simplicity and yet powerful enlightenment quote.. I am still learning from it. 

 

 

 

[The_Doctor]

3 hours ago, gladys57 said:

 they have to keep HIP alive to maintain its ratings as he's a very popular actor in Korea.

well just two episodes left, they can kill the character now  i just hope it will be at the very beginning of the episode.  

(this does tell me that JWI is a really good actor though, props to him)

 

For next weeks episodes i want a bloodbath, deaths double crosses, prisons and lots of crying, but since i am not the writer, here are my guesses as if i am the writer:

 

Dead: Taewoo (will give up his life for SY), Inpyo ( just because he is an a** )

 

Prison: Leon (well, because of basically everything illegal), HJ (because of bribes and richard simmons, or death i am on the fence with her), Hosung (heeju's dad, again bribes)

 

Barely escaped death and sad now: SY, JH

 

happily got his surgery and lives on her lockless home: Geumja halmoni

 

doing illegal stuff but because it  is not "that" illegal, walks around: Daeyong

 

doing kid stuff and meanwhile getting psychologically damaged because of her parents: Yoori

 

still very dead: Taehyeon and electrocuted Einstein (aka Dohak)

 

 

[Fabbo]

Yes and no. I mean she is completely right not to trust him with anything business related. We see that again and again. Most recent in the last episode. He could also set his priorities at his family. But he needs to feel and act like some big shot investor.

The problems start with his ego, pride and insecurities. Although her attitude doesn't help either. I just don't think that pressure he feels comes from her. She would be completely happy if he stays home all day and plays with their daughter. It's societal pressures and his need to fit them. They keep giving him jobs in the companyso he can feel a bit better but it clearly doesn't work out. And then he feels even more insecure etc. She keeps trying to tell him that it maybe isn't for him. In a way that only pushes him further.

Like you said HJ knows about his flaws and accepted them. It's time for him to accept them as well. Well and for HJ to accept her own ones.

[Fabbo]

Haha i like your categories. @The_Doctor

 

Dead:  Hong In-pyo (just the easiest solution for everyone), Leon ( it's a drama where people do die, would be weird if he out of all of them makes it out alive),  Seo Min-Gyu

 

Prison: Jaehoon (confesses that he killed that woman), that corrupt cop (or maybe they frogot about him), HJ's father

 

Barely escaped death and sad now (but not for that long because they found meaning in life): SY, HJ, TW (he is sad at first because he didnt get to revenge his brother himself)

 

happily got his surgery and lives on her lockless door: Jang Geum-Ja

 

doing illegal stuff but because it  is not "that" illegal, walks around: Daeyong, HJ's former security manager/killer (or is he already dead?), that new gangster lady

 

doing (kid) stuff and meanwhile getting psychologically damaged because of her parents: Yoori, SY (kind of)

 

still very dead: Taehyeon, Baek Seung-Jae, Dohak, Yoo Mi-Ra, Hong In-Pyo (oh wait he had a few more lifes)

 

[YongZura⁷]

I did watch this drama earlier in a few episodes and there's a moment when I was not sure what I was watching anymore.  So, I've skipped a few episodes and just read the posts here.  Thus my objective now is just to know the ending  of every character. 

 

Hopefully, some of your prediction come true.

[40somethingahjumma]

3 hours ago, gladys57 said:

 

Unlike some of you here, I'm still very optimistic that SY and TW will have a happy ending!

How can KKW & JYJ, 1 of my favourite Kdrama pairings not having a happy ending? 

 

I'm praying that you're right. It's the main reason why I'm still watching. I want to see them sitting at a beach in Tahiti sipping cocktails brought to them by French-speaking men in bowties. I want my bias TW to live happily ever after.

 

The only way they are going to have a happy ending is if she wakes up from this fixation with money. And if Leon is very very dead. Really dead. TW-should-stab-him-in-the-heart dead.

 

Is SY going to prove them all wrong... that she can have a man and money... I have my doubts. Something's got to give. It's been a zero sum game all this time.

 

@lebeaucouple Agree with your assessment of HJ and JH's marriage dynamics. I don't condone his womanizing but it's obvious that he's a man who craves respect. And if a man can't get it at home, he will look elsewhere. That's the danger of that scenario. Kudos to the show for portraying that remarkably well.

 

 

 

[lebeaucouple]

2 hours ago, Fabbo said:

It's societal pressures and his need to fit them........

Like you said HJ knows about his flaws and accepted them. It's time for him to accept them as well. Well and for HJ to accept her own ones.

 

The enlightenment quote that I mentioned earlier is meant for the couple, not just for HJ : they both need to face it (the crisis), accept it, deal with it and let it go. It will not work if one party went for marriage counselling while another party did not turn up for the session. The couple needs to work hand in hand to make it work. It takes lots of courageous and commitment to make it work in the long term.  It never comes easy...the most difficult to practice it is on the last phase : let it go...

 

Like you said, the husband issue could be due to the root pressure from the social norm, especially come from the eastern culture - it is lamentable but unavoidable as it rooted deeply since primitive days or rather confucius era.

 

My sister once told me , if you wish to safeguard your marriage, there are some key points to note : never compare your partners with others; never scold/blame your partner in front of others; often give compliments or encouragement to your partners even though they do not make a wise choice. The more you give compliment, the more they have confident on doing anything. This applies to men and women and vice versa. You can say the husband not handsome, but you can't say the husband lack of competency. It is taboo for them. 

 

While the ending story can be in many different versions, both of them may go to jail, or one of them dies in the end....to be honest, in reality, most partners will cover up the crime that their spouse committed, while for dramaland, it is always shown the righteous way of doing, the spouse will expose her partner committed crime. So let's see who will go to jail in the end...

 

Nevertheless, the moral of the story that i capture in earlier EP when Hong In-Pyo said to Lee Jae-Hun, "You have forgotten that you have own everything, why are you still chasing for the money..." (something like that, can't remember the exact full sentence) - a food for thought :-why are we still looking at others while we have everything on hand? 

 

 

 

[larus]

6 hours ago, The_Doctor said:

Dead: Taewoo (will give up his life for SY), Inpyo ( just because he is an a** )

 

 You want Tae woo dead? It was a time when I thought he is the only sane character in this drama. He doesn`t deserve to die.

 

I am usually on women side most of the time but not this time. He helped her more than once and now he has to give up his life to protect Seo yeon? No, I don`t want to see that. She should be capable of taking care of herself. She is a survivor, anyway.

 

13 hours ago, Fabbo said:

Yes there are obviously problems from both sides in their relationship.

But there is this sentiment here that irrks me. HJ has always put him down, he always has to prove himself. So he didn't feel like a man anymore so he went and richard simmons around a bit. But it was just sex. The idea that the fault is really at the wife because she let it happen. It's something you would have the mistress saying in a lot of makjang/family dramas and always sounds ridiculous. Basically "Isn't it also your fault because you didn't have your house under control?" That sentiment is here as well just not as spelled out.

 

 Agree with your point of view. Well, I wanted to know more about their relationship than see the fight between gansters.

Unfortunately, there are persons that will cheat even if they have a "perfect" married life. Even if they don't realize it, there's a reason why someone is unfaithful to his/her partner. But it is a choice they made and that doesn`t excuse them for that choice. If they will want to work on the issue, to adress the problem, there might be a chance to change the behavior. Of course, both partners should work to understand each other. The writer gives us some glimses of their relationship and some dialogue to guess why they behave in a certain way. Maybe Jae-Hoon was feeling insecure and has some issues that led him to be unfaithful but from what Hee-Ju said, he had a habit to look for other women, being imature. I saw him behaving like he lost his mind when he thought about that money. He even contracted a murder because he did not want his share to be lower. I see him now, being happy that his wife trusted him with a business (I believe he is not a good executive, but he always had money and maybe he projects himself in a certain way), I saw him wanting to be a better man for his wife and child. At least Seo yeon transformation was more palpable. What made him change? I don`t feel a natural transformation for Jae Hoon. Maybe it is just me. 

 

 

14 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

One of the biggest issues that I have with this drama is that it's a bit crowded to the point that things feel fillery.

Many pointless characters in this drama but the writer needed them to make some thrills. I even knew that In Pyo will dig himself out of that grave. Not thrills for me.

I have a problem with many action dramas (for exemple, it is hard to find a very good action drama) because they concentrate of the action scenes and not enough on characters, plot, they lack substance. I find myself thinking at similarities when I am watching this drama. 

I agree that Leon is a cartoonish villain. The writer told us for so many episodes that he is the the root of the evil but I don`t see why he was needed in the story. Maybe he was important but then why the writer needed Kim Do Hak, his minion? Maybe because he appears at the end of the story and I could not feel the connection.

 

I have mixed feelings about this drama. It started promising for me but I lost interest along the way but not on the point to stop watching. I am sorry if I sound negative. It was just my point of view. It won`t be on my favorite dramas list but it is not on the dislike list one either.

I like how the writer has kept up the tension between Seo Yeon and Tae Woo, how Seo Yeon gradually chanced from a woman controlled by money to the woman who controls the money, the love -hate relationship between friends Hee Joo and Seo Yeon and  mentor-apprentice relationship between Seo yeon and Ms Jang. It was at the satisfactory level (for me). 

 

 

I don`t even care what happens with the villains in this drama. But for Tae Woo`s emotional healing, I wish he will catch Leon so he could put behind him the bad things from his life and could move on to a brighter future.

 

[gladys57]

Let's not forget HJ's part in the MURDER of the murderer of YMR everyone! She got her assistant to kill him off to getcrid of evidence against her hubby JH.

So will she be allowed to escape scorch free???

 

As for Leon, I hope he kills himself in front of SY when cornered by TW. It'll be sweet redemption for his killing SY's brother.

[larus]

9.9 Billion Won Woman: Episodes 25-28 Open Thread

by missvictrix

Our heroine finally changes her course, giving up on the tainted 9.9 billion won in exchange for earning the money herself — little does she know she’s become part of an elaborate and well-laid plan to take down everyone involved with the massive fraud case three years ago. Though our heroine has come a long way, she’s still unable to move forward (or to Tahiti) without the money. Whether that’s greed or gumption is yet to be decided.

 

 
EPISODES 25-28 WEECAP

It’s the penultimate week and 9.9 Billion Won Woman doesn’t quit! The story has reversed from being about the pursuit of the money, to a pursuit of the people around the money, both from present day, and three years in the past when it all started.

Leon burst on the scene and he has pretty much taken over as the maestro behind everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen. Leon (masquerading as Daniel Kim) takes a liking to Seo-yeon, or at least pretends to, and takes her under his billionaire wings. He’s toying with her role in the whole thing, for sure, but a part of me thinks he’s also genuinely intrigued by her.

more

http://www.dramabeans.com/2020/01/9-9-billion-won-woman-episodes-25-28-open-thread/

 

 

2 hours ago, gladys57 said:

Let's not forget HJ's part in the MURDER of the murderer of YMR everyone! She got her assistant to kill him off to getcrid of evidence against her hubby JH.

So will she be allowed to escape scorch free??

 

She ordered the assistant to kill the two contract killers to get rid of evidence aganst her husband. Maybe the writer thinks she did society a favor.Maybe she will lose her husnand and that`s the punishment the writer decided for her. I think Jae Hoon will die because he orderd the murder of an innoocent woman who had a child.

 

As for Leon, I doubt that he will kill himself. Maybe In Pyo and Leon will kill each other. That will be "perfect" ending for both of them.

It is just a guess. Now I will wait to see that writer had in mind.

[lebeaucouple]

4 hours ago, larus said:

9.9 Billion Won Woman: Episodes 25-28 Open Thread

by missvictrix

Leon (masquerading as Daniel Kim) takes a liking to Seo-yeon, or at least pretends to, and takes her under his billionaire wings. He’s toying with her role in the whole thing, for sure, but a part of me thinks he’s also genuinely intrigued by her.

OMG, the writer of this article has the same opinion as mine ...part of me still think he’s also genuinely intrigued by her as mentioned in my earlier post. I may be wrong because there isn't any time for "new romance". Her heart still root for TW. She did not know she is in Lion den now, watching the dialogues between the lion and rabbit are so interesting....

[larus]

10 hours ago, lebeaucouple said:

OMG, the writer of this article has the same opinion as mine ...part of me still think he’s also genuinely intrigued by her as mentioned in my earlier post. I may be wrong because there isn't any time for "new romance". Her heart still root for TW. She did not know she is in Lion den now, watching the dialogues between the lion and rabbit are so interesting...

 I also noticed that Leon is interested in Seo yeon, as a woman. The original plan was that he is using her but that was an excuse to approach her. He likes to "toy" with her but I wonder if Seo Yeon has not became his weakness already and he doesn`t know it. We`ll see. 

 

Not only it is not time for new romance but, so far, Seo Yeon doesn`t like him as a man. She just wants to learn for him how to make more money.  Her heart is still with Tae Woo.

[40somethingahjumma]

20 hours ago, larus said:

 

 

Many pointless characters in this drama but the writer needed them to make some thrills. I even knew that In Pyo will dig himself out of that grave. Not thrills for me.

I have a problem with many action dramas (for exemple, it is hard to find a very good action drama) because they concentrate of the action scenes and not enough on characters, plot, they lack substance. I find myself thinking at similarities when I am watching this drama. 

I agree that Leon is a cartoonish villain. The writer told us for so many episodes that he is the the root of the evil but I don`t see why he was needed in the story. Maybe he was important but then why the writer needed Kim Do Hak, his minion? Maybe because he appears at the end of the story and I could not feel the connection.

 

I have mixed feelings about this drama. It started promising for me but I lost interest along the way but not on the point to stop watching. I am sorry if I sound negative. It was just my point of view. It won`t be on my favorite dramas list but it is not on the dislike list one either.

I like how the writer has kept up the tension between Seo Yeon and Tae Woo, how Seo Yeon gradually chanced from a woman controlled by money to the woman who controls the money, the love -hate relationship between friends Hee Joo and Seo Yeon and  mentor-apprentice relationship between Seo yeon and Ms Jang. It was at the satisfactory level (for me). 

 

 

I don`t even care what happens with the villains in this drama. But for Tae Woo`s emotional healing, I wish he will catch Leon so he could put behind him the bad things from his life and could move on to a brighter future.

 

 

I believe that the writer wanted to build a hierarchy of villains to draw on... gradually knocking off the lower tier characters to make way for the ultimate kingpin. That's fine. It's one way to keep the story going when there's an uneven spread of abilities/skill sets/intelligence in an ensemble cast. I don't necessarily think Leon is irrelevant but the way he is being packaged and delivered perhaps doesn't always live up to the hype. At the end of the day, he's just a somewhat  clever man with a lot of money. He has many minions and he can manipulate people with his charisma. But the "casa del raza" stuff challenges even my ability to suspend disbelief.

I think consistency in the world building is what I really struggle with. There's some stuff that makes you feel that this is real and serious. Then there's other stuff like HIP's miraculous escape that pulls you right out of it. He's a mediocre businessman who can barely keep his business afloat. How is it that he has so many skills to engage in investigative work? Is his psychopathy suppose to explain everything?

 

I don't doubt that it's hard to write a consistently good cat and mouse chase. Not everyone can pull it off. But I am surprised because this is the same writer who wrote Last, which is an excellent revenge thriller with memorable characters. While I'm critical about the plotting, I do like the character dynamics... which seems to me to be partly the actors and partly the interactions between them.

 

By the way you shouldn't apologize for having an opinion about the show.

 

(If anyone here enjoys a good cat and mouse set-up, you should look at something like Doctor Prisoner. That was good one.)

[larus]

43 minutes ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

I think consistency in the world building is what I really struggle with. There's some stuff that makes you feel that this is real and serious. Then there's other stuff like HIP's miraculous escape that pulls you right out of it. He's a mediocre businessman who can barely keep his business afloat. How is it that he has so many skills to engage in investigative work? Is his psychopathy suppose to explain everything?

 I agree.

About In Pyo. Seeing him so resourceful you wonder why he was so bad in doing business. He should have opened a private investigation business. He would have been succesful. Except from the beginning (when we saw his relationship with the heroine) and a few comic relief scenes, I don`t really care to see this character. Sometime I  feel like he had more scenes than the protagonist.

 

I watched Last and it was good. I was interested even on villains there.

 

*****

I love BTS pictures

 

Kdrama fashion

 

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