[Drama 2020] When My Love Blooms, 화양연화

[enchantedyears]

Some thoughts on this week's eps.

 

On Joonseo

Where do I even begin... I feel bad that he's practically a collateral damage due to the adults around him. And it's possible he's the one who's going to be left without proper support once it's over. Being predominantly raised by professional manipulators, bullies and enablers like Seokyung and Jang San must've fed Joonseo's ego so much that he becomes a bully himself. I'd like to think he can change once Seokyung and SK's dad's influence on him is gone, but I'm not too sure. As long as he doesn't own up to his wrongdoings as a bully, he's still a lost cause.

 

One thing that intrigues me is his interactions with Jaehyun. There's a feeling of obedience and politeness(?) I get from Joonseo when he's with his dad. I expected him to burst out in anger after being told about who Jisoo is, but he mostly sat there in silence. And I wonder why he didn't tell Seokyung about the real reason why the fight happened. Did he want to protect Seokyung or was it because something else? I'm actually kind of scared Joonseo is going to be so rebellious later on that he becomes the person who holds the divorce back.

 

 

On telling the kids about the relationship

I saw people talking about this part on DCInside and was wondering what you guys think about telling Joonseo and Youngmin about JS and JH's past. Should they protect the kids' innocence by lying and denying what happened? Or do you think what JS and JH did is for the best? I can't still make up my mind, mostly on Jaehyun's part. Jisoo's way of telling Youngmin definitely comes from the fact that she knows Youngmin very well (he's quite mature + perceptive) and she won't be able to lie to him.

 

 

On Jaehyun

Can I just say how much I love the cheesy and silly present-day Jaehyun? Aside from going way above and beyond in giving Jisoo presents, he cheers her up in the cheesiest ways. I, too, would like to fall for and grow old with a person like that  This man has a lot on his shoulders but still makes time to joke around.

 

 

 

 

What a cute ahjusshi... 

 

 

 

Other disjointed thoughts and predictions:

• That old protestor guy seems like he's ready to kill Jaehyun the moment he has the chance. He looks so disappointed and sad when he found out they can't proceed with their lawsuit. If the writer wants to add more makjang elements, here's the chance to do so 
• Is Jisoo thinking of moving to the house she saw after sending the little girl home?
• I hope Youngmin gets to study at a better school and Sehun won't use the incident to get custody of Youngmin again...
• Once Jaehyun's divorce is final I want to see who gets custody of Joonseo. Jaehyun can definitely build a case around Seokyung's drinking habit.
• “full mental clarity can appear quite abruptly and unexpectedly just hours or days before death.” during a moment of lucidity, perhaps Jisoo's dad is going to accept the relationship, apologize to Jaehyun for what happened in the past, and then... you know... RIP?
• I want to see more present-day Hyejeong tbh. I love her personality!

[thistle]

1 hour ago, enchantedyears said:

what you guys think about telling Joonseo and Youngmin about JS and JH's past. Should they protect the kids' innocence by lying and denying what happened?

 

JS and JH did the right thing by telling the truth to their sons.  Lying to kids is not good, no matter what the reason.  It may be necessary sometimes to tell a simplified version of the truth but a hurtful truth will Always be better than a kind lie.

 

Just for example:  this is why I have issues with parents making Santa Claus "real" for their kids:  it ends up in heartbreak later, and it damages the trust relationship between parent and child.  My folks told me that Santa Claus was a fun game to play but it was a secret that this was a game so I shouldn't tell anyone but I could talk to my parents about it and ask any questions I needed to.  Problem solved:  I knew I could trust my parents to tell the truth and I still got to have fun playing the Santa game.

 

In this case, problem solved:  the parents were straightforward and told as much as the kids could understand or cope with.  The kids had already heard the gossip and gossip is too often full of lies.  If their parents failed to tell them the truth at this point, it would be a set up for a ton of future trouble with their sons.

 

1 hour ago, enchantedyears said:

Is Jisoo thinking of moving to the house she saw after sending the little girl home?

 

She disappeared before.  I have a feeling she could easily do it again.  She knows someone is following her.  She knows that her ex is a problem.  She knows that JH's FIL is big trouble.  So I think that her next step is that she's gonna want to protect her cub like any good tiger mama, and she's likely to follow the pattern she has used in the past.  My guess:  they will pack a suitcase and go in the middle of the night.

 

JS has already showed that she's able to let things go before too (like the guitar) so, even though it could be very hurtful to JH, she could walk away from all the things he gave her during this episode.

 

 

 

 

.....editing because I had one more thought:  at the end of the promo for next week, I think JS says something about not making the same huge mistake she made in the past.  I suspect that past mistake is letting go of JH and maybe she's ready to fight for him.

 

[haha1999]

I think giving the scholarship to YM is only a scheme to get JS away from JH.

[ktcjdrama]

18 hours ago, Latte_Anyday said:

And she lost her sis, mom in a departmental store collapse. I can't remember which other k-drama also had its lead character lose their family in a similar incident?

The drama is Just Between Lovers ~ a great drama for anyone who haven't watched it.

 

I just finished ep.9 ~ teared up a bit when they were talking at the stairs in front of her apartment door. No comment yet as I haven't finished reading all the comments here to avoid spoilers for ep.10. Will soon dive into it.

[dodomummim]

19 hours ago, Latte_Anyday said:

Lucky Ji Soo for havin' a super wealthy bf ha-ha! He bought so many new stuff for her apartment. And she lost her sis, mom in a departmental store collapse. I can't remember which other k-drama also had its lead character lose their family in a similar incident? Now Seo Kyung wants to fight for Jae Hyun aigoo~ I somehow sympathise more for Song Hye Kyo's ex hubby (no I don't mean Song Joong Ki LoL) in her drama Encounter. 

 

When Ji Soo boldly asked Jae Hyun if he wanted to have ramen, I was like oooh la la! But then turned out she meant it literally LMFAo. Get my mind out of the gutter.

 

I wish I could have a super wealthy boyfriend like JH  He seemed to purchase all new stuffs for JS's apartment. Next time maybe he will buy her a new luxury apartment.

 

Sorry I have not watched the ep. 10 so I must wait to tonight when I have free time after working Monday. I hope the ep. 10 does not let me cry so much but maybe it's impossible.

[Latte_Anyday]

@ktcjdrama

I didn't watch that. I think it's a different one oh well, thanks anyway.

 

I knew it!

Jae Hyun is planning to take down Hyung Sung and yea that includes his damn FIL. Jun Seo is truly his mother's son. Seo Kyung's not makin' things better either by pinning it on Young Min - who's actually the real victim. 

     Why's the sanatorium equipped with such poor security!? It's so dangerous to have any of their patients run out freely like that. It was sort of too close to home for me in regards between Ji Soo and her dad.. as it sort of mirrors the fractured relationship I have with my late mom as well.. 

Geez I just wish for our otp to be happy, is that too much to ask drama LoL!? 

[thistle]

3 hours ago, Latte_Anyday said:

I didn't watch that. I think it's a different one oh well, thanks anyway.

 

The idea for the backstory of Just Between Lovers was based on what happened during the shopping mall collapse in Seoul but in the drama this was a fictitious accident in Busan.  If you haven't seen it, give it a try.  JBL is one of the very, very best dramas ever.

 

I'll spoiler tag so that this isn't OT but here's a video clip:

Spoiler

 

 

 

3 hours ago, Latte_Anyday said:

Why's the sanatorium equipped with such poor security!?

 

I think it's because JS can't afford a better place for her dad.  At the beginning of the drama, he had his own caretaker but the woman raised her fees and JS lost her job so I think that JS's dad doesn't have anyone watching over him at the rest home now.

[Tango27]

did anyone actually catch what happened when JH purchased the new stuff ?

cause if I am not wrong.. he had a change of heart after seeing that shoe...which is a symbol for what she went thru

he actually returned everything he bought ( cause it sounded dishonest and JS wasn't going to accept it anyway ) ... he only left that note...thats what I got 

thats what I think happened even though it was done pretty low key

 

I know it might have been confusing but knowing JSs pride and seeing she didnt show a reaction ... thats what I concluded... when she opened the shoe cabinet...I didnt see the expensive shoes ? so i am thinking you must have missed that 

BUT STILL I MIGHT BE WRONG.IDK...I might go and rewatch the scene carefully

*****************************************

... about the mall collapse ... I am not sure where the events is taking place in the past... but they have used the actual news footage from 95 Sampoong Department Store disaster which killed hundreds of ppl ....so i am not sure if its fictitious or not 

 

 

[Latte_Anyday]

That's right! The drama I was referring to was Chocolate thanks @chickfactor for that LoL! Another painfully slow, mellow, healing genre ha-ha with a lackluster ending ugh. But I adore Yoon Kye Sang he's such a babe LoL. 

     Idk why but it's gettin' a bit like Itaewon Class a lil bit now with Jae Hyun plannin' vengeance against a conglomerate and it involves its evil CEO too. I'm glad that Joon Seo had a conscience at least LoL. When his mom mentioned to ruin Young Min, Joon Seo looked regretful? 

     I also liked how Ji Soo told Young Min that the scholarship was kind of fishy. Like she used the saying, there are no free lunches in this world except for mine eheheh. Her bond with him is really endearing.. I guess it's true that kids mirror their parents. 

[celebrianna]

In a way Jae Hyun hasn’t changed in his single-minded devotion to a cause. When I listen to the extent he intend to go, it’s no wonder the prosecutor warned him again, reminding him of the price he will most likely have to pay. I kept thinking why doesn’t he just walk away and pursue a simple, less exhausting life. However, I understand he’s invested a lot of years and dedication to taking down the chairman because of the chairman’s dirty employment practices that also turned his father into a victim. 
 

I must reiterate how much I like that the drama is carried by the four leads. I don’t think I have seen it done this way. I enjoying all four actors so much. I’m off to rewatch episodes 9 and 10 now that the subs are complete.

[ktcjdrama]

5 hours ago, Latte_Anyday said:

 

I didn't watch that. I think it's a different one oh well, thanks anyway.

JBL is the drama that is basing its story on that mall collapsed. But there were other dramas which refer to it too and yes, Chocolate was the most recent one. 

 

@enchantedyears I was cheering when they were telling their own kids the truth about their relationship. At last, no lying and covering up. I love seeing their close relationship with their kids. Even though JH been in prison for four years, I can’t help but feel that the son is closer to him than his mother. I was surprised too that he actually sat quietly and let JH finished his story. 

 

Ep.10 made me cry much again. Especially the part when she left him the goodbye note. 

 

As for whether or not JH knew about the involvement of evil chairman with his father’s death, I’d like to think that he found out after marrying SK. He seems to love her at one time. Otherwise, why would he be worried about her and their son even now.

[angelwingssf]

8 hours ago, dodomummim said:

Sorry I have not watched the ep. 10 so I must wait to tonight when I have free time after working Monday. I hope the ep. 10 does not let me cry so much but maybe it's impossible.

Good luck.  If you cried for ep 9, 10 is truly a tear jerker.  I had not cried the entire 9 episodes, but 10 got to me.  So, keep your kleenex handy.  With this epidemic and shutdown and supply of Kleenex scarce , maybe a washable towel is better.

[Tango27]

6 hours ago, Latte_Anyday said:

@ktcjdrama

 

Geez I just wish for our otp to be happy, is that too much to ask drama LoL!? 

 

OTP

time for us to be together

 

drama writers

 

sure ..Go ahead

 

[thistle]

2 hours ago, Tango27 said:

did anyone actually catch what happened when JH purchased the new stuff ?

 

It's an interesting point.  I thought that some stuff might still be there but I'm not sure.   Would have to re-watch.

 

It was really sweet that he was trying to be helpful.....but, truthfully, I would be kinda creeped out if a guy went rummaging all through my house and decided to replace whatever he thought would be needed fixing.   

 

7 hours ago, Latte_Anyday said:

Geez I just wish for our otp to be happy, is that too much to ask drama LoL!? 

 

I've been wondering how on earth they could be together after all the dust settles from the fights that are bound to happen.  My conclusion:  the only way they can be together and happy is to move somewhere else other than anywhere in Korea, like maybe Hawaii.  If SK goes to jail for her part in daddy's bad business, maybe they can take JH's son along, too.    But I think he may have some difficulty in learning to be brothers with YM.

 

Another random and thoroughly pointless thought:  we know SK is a cheater, so is it possible that her son's dad is not JH?

[celebrianna]

Boy it sometimes seems odd to me that JH has such a brat for a son. Not only is he a persistent liar, he bullies other kids and everyone around him enables him.  Wow. Frankly, JH should be heartily ashamed but he doesn’t seem to be. 

 

@thistle, I believe the boy is JH’s son. Maybe the chaebol wife only started cheating when he was in prison. Somehow I don’t think JH loved chaebol wife. I think he settled for her after she chased him and then of course there’s his plot to bring down her father because of the injustice perpetrated against his father. 
 

Even if I had previously entertained a bit of sympathy for chaebol wife, after hearing her sit there and say she wants to destroy an innocent child like Youngmin, it pushed me close to hating her. What kind of adult is that? She doesn’t even care to know the truth before issuing these threats.

 

[realistic2280a]

Yes it was that supermarket collapse Soompoong.

 

Anyways, i wonder whats the back story with JH and JS's father. There seemed to be one between those two which is yet to be revealed...

 

And would JH went all the way to revenge his family by marrying his current wife? It would have been an amazing corporate ladder advace for him... sigh... 

 

Can the two boys be friends at the end of the drama? Let's hope so... imagine JH's son knowing his fathet destroyed his legacy of inheriting the business empire? What a messy relationship....hehee

 

I want the drama to move faster.... plsssss... JS stay with JH already pleaseeeee

 

 

[Flaneur2]

Realistically speaking (which is an oxymoron in K-Drama world), even if JH and JS don't end up being together, there is no way JH and current wife can stay together, unless she undergoes a total transformation.  If her father is destroyed, can she still continue to stay married to the person who is about to take away her cushy life ?  If the husband is destroyed, can she tolerate another several (definitely going to be more than 4 this time) years of him incarcerated ?  The "love" she has for JH is non-existent.  I laughed when she was snooping around his media room and finally decided to break the lock off his wooden box.  She had 4-years to go through everything JH has in the house and she had to do it when he was back in the house ?? She only started to be interested when she found out that he was interested in another woman.   It's just her pride/ego and nothing to do with wanting to keep the marriage intact.  She even admitted that she's not good at being a mother (and gave up, pretty much), which means she might not even love her son.  Also, the back story of how they even got together hasn't surfaced yet.  We know she threw a tantrum despite her father's objection to marry JH.   The way FIL deals with things, he might have threatened, blackmailed, negotiated a deal so that the daughter gets what she wants.  Although JH didn't have to accept, perhaps chances of revenge was a motivation.   Either way, this marriage is a lost cause, regardless of the outcome of JH/JS relationship.  Still want happiness all around for JH/JS/YM though.  

[Tango27]

1 hour ago, realistic2280a said:

 

 

Anyways, i wonder whats the back story with JH and JS's father. There seemed to be one between those two which is yet to be revealed...

 

And would JH went all the way to revenge his family by marrying his current wife? It would have been an amazing corporate ladder advace for him... sigh... 

 

 

 

this twist take this into quiet another place

I would say it makes JH look a little better...that he didnt sell himself to the devil but he made a pact with him... but what about the marriage and the kid >>>is this a suicide mission gone wrong ... did he intend this marriage to be a vehicle.........where was it going to stop anyway  

avengers usually become the bad guys eventually with some redemption ...

and finally  ... how did he manage to sneak his way into this family 

[thistle]

16 minutes ago, Tango27 said:

avengers usually become the bad guys

 

This is so true.  I have been wondering if this drama will end up like Secret Affair did:  with one partner in jail and the other waiting outside. 

 

It seems like JH is willing to do just about anything including going to jail (which he has certainly already done) to exact his revenge.  The problem is that taking revenge tends to destroy both the target and the one taking revenge.

 

2 hours ago, celebrianna said:

Boy it sometimes seems odd to me that JH has such a brat for a son. Not only is he a persistent liar, he bullies other kids and everyone around him enables him.  Wow. Frankly, JH should be heartily ashamed but he doesn’t seem to be. 

 

JH does seem to be overly relaxed with his misbehaving brat.  In the brat's defense (which he does not deserve, obviously), there was just the barest glimmer in episode 10 that seemed to indicate that he has some realization that he's doing wrong and that he could have caused harm.  That seemed hopeful.  Some bullies behave badly because they are afraid of being bullied themselves, and it kinda seems like JHSon could have been a target himself because dad was a jailbird so the kid may have been acting out to keep the other kids from beating him down.  If that is the case, then maybe with some guidance from JH, he could become a decent person one day.  

 

2 hours ago, celebrianna said:

Even if I had previously entertained a bit of sympathy for chaebol wife, after hearing her sit there and say she wants to destroy an innocent child like Youngmin, it pushed me close to hating her. What kind of adult is that? She doesn’t even care to know the truth before issuing these threats.

 

But for mom SK, she's beyond help and it's too late for her to learn.  She has undoubtedly never had to face consequences, so she is clueless about the damage her actions cause.  

 

1 hour ago, Flaneur2 said:

She had 4-years to go through everything JH has in the house and she had to do it when he was back in the house ?? She only started to be interested when she found out that he was interested in another woman.   It's just her pride/ego and nothing to do with wanting to keep the marriage intact. 

 

Like the lyrics from an old song say, "we don't know what we've got until it's gone"  She's jealous now but she doesn't think about how her cheating could have made her husband feel.  She thinks that she is bulletproof and it's about time that she finds out that she isn't.  

 

 

 

[chickfactor]

Seo-Kyeong's style of mothering: tell your child, "I'm going to humiliate him and kick him out of school!" What a great role model. No wonder your son is the class bully. But Joon-Seo had the good grace to look a little ashamed, and even protested that he hit Yeong-Min, too. There is hope for you, Joon-Seo.

 

Just want to complain about the nasty moms who spread this rumor in the first place, and even said it in front of their kids. I've noticed that K-dramas frequently feature Nasty Moms, pretty much whenever there are school-aged kids around. If Ji-Soo went gangster on all of them, I would not mind.

 

My weekly rant: How Much Se-Hoon Sucks. It turns out he's not even a very good lawyer, and just filed this wrongful death lawsuit to mess with Jae-Hyeon without any solid evidence. But while doing that, he messed with the emotions of a grieving father whose son died unfairly. Yup, you are a terrible person, Se-Hoon.

 

He remains the one person who we can hate freely. They've even softened up Ji-Soo's dad. (He'll probably give Jae-Hyeon some key evidence about Hyung Sung's corruption or something.)

 

The video preview hints that Ji-Soo will fight for her love and happiness. Hurray! She was denying herself happiness before, but now, she's ready to go for it. I will enjoy seeing our OTP be on the same page, fighting for the same goals.

 

And even though Chairman Jang is the Bad Guy, I do enjoy how begrudgingly impressed he is by Ji-Soo. (You know, before he plans to try and destroy her, that is.)

 

Text Preview Translation:

 

http://program.tving.com/tvn/tvnblossom/8/Board/List

 

 

11. "I hope that no one will leave anymore"

 

Jae-Hyeon and Ji-Soo both know the pain of suddenly losing someone they love, so they understand each other deeply. Jae-Hyeon worries when he finds out Ji-Soo is about to get fired from her job at the music school, and he goes through "trial and error." Hyeong-Gu (Ji-Soo's father) comes to his senses and learns that Jae-Hyeon is by Ji-Soo's side, and secretly arranges to meet with him. Chairman Jang finds out about the ill-fate from the past, and using Seo-Kyeong and Joon-Seo as his shield, he attacks Jae-Hyeon more. In 1996, Jae-Hyeon is in the army and gets a "sky breaking open with lightning" (terrible) news.