[Drama 2020] When My Love Blooms, 화양연화

[chickfactor]

12 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

Any stranger should do that to a fainted child. What should he have done? Go inside the building and inform the school officials first and let the child lay there? 

 

 

I live in the U.S. and I have school-aged children. And yes, that's exactly what he should have done (in the U.S.), more or less. You cannot take any child who isn't yours from the school premises without explicit written permission from the parents. That would just be very illegal. The right thing to do is to just call for help. But I live in the U.S., and he lives in K-Drama Land.

 

There are a lot of things that are illogical. For example:

 

1. Doesn't this posh school have any staff or teachers? A student faints and no one is around to see it, except Joon-Seo (of course).

 

2. Ji-Su worked at Hyung Sung Mart before, and Hyung Sung is apparently a huge conglomerate, and she never knew that her FIRST LOVE is the son-in-law? When she dreams about him *every* night, when she carries his handkerchief that he gave her 20+ years ago with her every day? Oooookay.

 

3. Ji-Su just happens to have worked at Hyung Sung Mart and ends up protesting in front of his building. She also just happens to be the masked piano player at the hotel he likes to go to have drinks. And their kids just happen to attend the same school, and just happen to be enemies. Even Seo-Gyeong is like, "Hey, this is too much to be a coincidence." That's right, Girl, this is K-drama Land.

 

4. Let's not forget Mr. Third Wheel, who's been in love with her for 20+ years, during which time he apparently never met any other woman, and pined only for her, and will now have to stand by and watch as she starts up with Sunbae again. This poor dude.

 

You either buy this, or you don't. I do, and I love it.

 

And yes, Ji-Su's fancy borrowed gown did look an awful lot like Carrie's prom dress, and Seo-Gyeong helpfully even used the English word "grotesque" to describe the red wine splatter.

 

Ah, Seo-Gyeong, she really is hilarious. Rich, beautiful, spiteful, self-aware of her failings as a mother (it really was funny when she said, "I am not someone who can make a decent person out of my son"), blase about her affair ("I was lonely. What else am I supposed to do?"), and zipping around in her green Lamborghini. She is an absolute riot, love it.

 

(I think that was a Lamborghini? I just know that it's an absurdly expensive car that she is driving.)

 

And of course, on the other end is Ji-Su. Practically a poor little match girl. Poor, idealistic, forsaken by her father, slapped by her *horrible* MIL (is there any other kind in K-drama?) Her shoes falling apart, bags ripping (twice!) all perfectly timed to get her to cross paths with Mr. True Love.

 

It was especially hilarious when Seo-Gyeong had her "people" do a "background check" (Wow, are there no privacy laws in Korea?) and found out all about Ji-Su's misfortunes and says, "This is bad, he must not find out. Her life is so terrible that he won't be able to resist her!" Seo-Gyeong is our Greek Chorus! Ha ha.

 

My point is: this is HIGH MELODRAMA. Expect a whole lot more slaps and people throwing wine/soju/water at others. A whole lot of swelling music, a whole lot of crying. Tragic backstory for both our leads. You either embrace that or you don't. It's cool either way.

 

(Speaking of Park Si-Yeon playing spiteful rich B's, how do we forget "My Girl?" HAHAHA.)

[Nymeria289]

13 minutes ago, celebrianna said:

Please don’t paint the world with a broad brush of your individual experience. You would be surprised to find out that in the real world there are societies where people actually choose to discipline their child and make them take the responsibility for their actions. Where I grew up if a child did anything wrong, not only did the teacher punish him but when he goes home the parents also punished him. 

I myself grew up where discipline was given utmost importance but when push comes to shove in major issues, most parents want to protect their child's future and this I can say by dealing with parents of students. Being a bully in SK is a huge stigma. No parent would want to own up to that, not there anyway. So the fact that Jae Hyun candidly confessed to Ji Soo was surprising to me. If Ji Soo took it to the authorities, it could spell disaster for his son. That would go into his permanent record. And by all means, it should go into his records. I know the school I went to would kick Jae Hyun's son out in a heartbeat if these allegations were made and proven to be true. I am just talking about reactions here. Most parents would want to discipline their child but there is discipline and there is ruining his or her future in the process. Most would not want to ruin their future in the process. They may reprimand in private but not in public. As for Jae Hyun's wife she did own up to the fact that she doesn't know how to correct her son, its not something she is used or has capability of doing. So, it is indeed a character fault and the character actually admitted to it which was again surprising. I though she would deny it in that scene. I don't like Jae Hyun's wife for her flaw. But the reaction to somebody throwing a chair at their son, I think Jae Hyun's wife's reaction was more realistic compared to Jae Hyun. I can assure you, no parent will stand still if somebody threw a freaking chair at their son. All hell will break loose then.

[airgelaal]

17 minutes ago, chickfactor said:

2. Ji-Su worked at Hyung Sung Mart before, and Hyung Sung is apparently a huge conglomerate, and she never knew that her FIRST LOVE is the son-in-law? When she dreams about him *every* night, when she carries his handkerchief that he gave her 20+ years ago with her every day? Oooookay.

 

He was in jail all that time.  So I can believe, that she never knew. 

 

[WANGYEO]

33 minutes ago, chickfactor said:

 

2. Ji-Su worked at Hyung Sung Mart before, and Hyung Sung is apparently a huge conglomerate, and she never knew that her FIRST LOVE is the son-in-law? When she dreams about him *every* night, when she carries his handkerchief that he gave her 20+ years ago with her every day? Oooookay.

 

 

Just because you work at a company does not mean you know who the president, vice-president or any of their personal business. All you care is about getting and doing the job.  Jisu is busy and miserable to look at magazine, news, or anything beside working. 

 

 

  

3 minutes ago, FactChecker said:

By the way, just to throw someone new in the topic... Did you notice that JH is overbearing with JS' kid, whilst he only has the flu. His own kid received a freaking chair against his hat and he does not care for it. His son is even saying something like "shouldn't I go the hospital, as my head is really hurting" and JH straight up ignores it. Haha... Bully or not, a chair is a chair... My god, his son might have some concussion without them knowing... Man, he is quite harsh with his own son...

 For sure, Jaehyun is an awful father and husband. He ignores his wife and son. He does not seem to give a sh* about his son. He does contribute to his son's bully persona. The kid lacks of affection from his father. JH cares about Jisu's son more than his own. This makes me wonder if the son is even Jaehyun's. The son does has a bratty personality to which a good communication between him and Jaehyun is difficult. The kid lack of empathy. Jaehyun's family lacks of communication and affection. 

[chickfactor]

25 minutes ago, airgelaal said:

He was in jail all that time.  So I can believe, that she never knew. 

 

 

 

But he said he is more famous than the typical celebrity.

 

Speaking of which, it's very unrealistic that there was some glamour article written about him when he just got out of jail for having (allegedly) committed financial crimes.

 

Also, pretty funny that the protesting ahjummas knew that he took the fall for his FIL. I mean, they sure knew a lot.

 

Also, he looked for her for 20 years but couldn't find her? When he's a powerful chaebol who's able to dig up her divorce court records at the snap of his finger? It's not as if she changed her name and lived under witness protection so how hard was it to find her?

 

Anyway, my point is that if we expect this show to follow any real life rules, it would never end. 

[celebrianna]

46 minutes ago, Nymeria289 said:

Being a bully in SK is a huge stigma. No parent would want to own up to that, not there anyway. So the fact that Jae Hyun candidly confessed to Ji Soo was surprising to me. If Ji Soo took it to the authorities, it could spell disaster for his son. That would go into his permanent record. And by all means, it should go into his records. I know the school I went to would kick Jae Hyun's son out in a heartbeat if these allegations were made and proven to be true. I am just talking about reactions here. Most parents would want to discipline their child but there is discipline and there is ruining his or her future in the process. Most would not want to ruin their future in the process. They may reprimand in private but not in public.
 

As for Jae Hyun's wife she did own up to the fact that she doesn't know how to correct her son, its not something she is used or has capability of doing. So, it is indeed a character fault and the character actually admitted to it which was again surprising. I though she would deny it in that scene. I don't like Jae Hyun's wife for her flaw. But the reaction to somebody throwing a chair at their son, I think Jae Hyun's wife's reaction was more realistic compared to Jae Hyun. I can assure you, no parent will stand still if somebody threw a freaking chair at their son. All hell will break loose then.

There seems to be a lot of things in SK that stigmatize people. I guess they don’t believe in second chances. However, as to other societies, there’s such a thing as forgiveness and punishment that doesn’t ruin a child’s future. That’s probably why in some countries juvenile records are sealed. There are also parents who believe the pain today is worth it rather than raising a bad apple. So I don’t believe that most parents with any “moral sensibility” and wisdom would defend their kids bad actions. You don’t want your kids to end up in jail because you didn’t teach them what’s right. You don’t want your kids to end up as a failure because you didn’t teach them responsibility. You want them to grow up with the right set of morals and a sense of responsibility to be able to function in society. Children should learn there are consequences to their actions. Don’t wait until they are in serious trouble to teach them this invaluable lesson.
 

HJH was upset that a kid threw a chair at his son. Go back and watch the scene when he was waiting in the principal’s office and before Ji Soo came in. When Ji Soo came in immediately apologizing, he didn’t even look at her for a time. I keep wondering why people are missing his initial reaction. He was obviously upset about the situation. 
 

As to the wife’s excuse about her inability to teach her son wrong from right, that’s just beyond ridiculous. If she doesn’t know how, she should go take a parenting class or read a “Parenting for Dummies” book and stop making stupid excuses.

[airgelaal]

3 minutes ago, chickfactor said:

 

 

But he said he is more famous than the typical celebrity.

 

As if JS had time to pay attention

 

Quote

Speaking of which, it's very unrealistic that there was some glamour article written about him when he just got out of jail for having (allegedly) committed financial crimes.

 

I think it's an old magazine. I don't think those ahjummas would buy it.

 

Quote

Also, pretty funny that the protesting ahjummas knew that he took the fall for his FIL. I mean, they sure knew a lot.

I think, it's not really a secret.

 

Quote

Also, he looked for her for 20 years but couldn't find her? When he's a powerful chaebol who's able to dig up her divorce court records at the snap of his finger? It's not as if she changed her name and lived under witness protection so how hard was it to find her?

 

And I also think, that it's impossible. But I start to think, that his friends and JS friends knew everything. 

By the way. he still doesn't know, that she was in jail.

[sal2]

I think what is important to note is that they both seems to be just going true their life and being resigned to what they have now. But then they now meet again and stair old feelings and forgotten memory. Like JH says he want to find his happiness again. I belive after he did taking the blame for his father in law going to jail, and also knowing his wife was having affair would make him ambivalent to his family. Beside being away from them for 4 year. I am sure it is hard getting into the loop again. I also wonder if he deep inside feel disgusted letting himself being his father in law "dog". I mean it would not surprise me he have build up some resentment toward his father in law witch make him cold to his wife and son. In the end this is going against his own belief that seems so strong in his youth. 

He already stating to go against his in laws in company question. I think there is no way he is not gonna start fighting against them in his own way. But I do think this gonna be ugly as they not gonna lett him go easy even if he do bring divorce paper. Even though I am not happy about them starting an affair, I also think it is not so black and withe situation.

 

We do see him and his wife seems to actually have an understanding of each other. My only feeling is that she is not gonna let him go easy. even tough I wish she would because she could see him love JS and knowing it would not be right hold him back when it would just hurt her more. But then there is the son to think about also...

 

I want to say about JS I feel she is really depressed as she voice the hopelessness she feel. Sure you can say she should just fight, but she seem to be a hurt bird... Depression is a real thing that affect the way we think and act. It is so sad seeing how mature her son is beyond years. 

 

I think it is sad that in the past and in the present there is this big wall between that is their different  social and economical situation. This make me root for them to finally find their happiness in life and find peace. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jongski]

 When Their Love Bloomed....

 

cr: twtter/myoxygen/owner

 

I just finished episode 3 and 4

 

The  college Jaehyun and Jisoo. I enjoy them for what they are suppose to be during college. Young love. First love. Being together. Fighting together.  The me and you against social barriers.

 

Adult Jaehyun and Jisu. I want pressing emotions. I don't know... maybe anger, disbelieft, rage, love .Well,  Jisu got broke down in anger  during scene with her father in the hospital. I want more I guess. 

 

 

On 5/4/2020 at 2:39 AM, ponderings said:

What I find interesting is the socioeconomic status of their younger selves and what they believed in. JH has something against the capitalistic system and JS learns about the world outside of her home. Her beliefs are heavily influenced by the younger JH. Episode 3 Young JS learns to be with the losing side and keeps that belief. Episode 4  Young JS learns that she is a special and precious child of the deity.

@ponderings Same here.

 

 

"To deities, every human is precious and meaningful. Don't let anyone treat you badly. Not even family" -Jaehyun, ep 4

 

cto:

 

I like this scene in ep 3.  She wanted to join him his protest but he won't let her. She stood waiting,  the snowflake falling, her sad lonely face waiting for him. Her facial expression.  Him telling her she's pianist, to put on gloves. Took her hands kiss them. Blowing warm kisses. 

 

"Whether it's the organization or the assemblies, don't come. The era we live in doesn't require people to risk their lives. You're not desperate for a change or  or believ in the cause" -  Jaehyun, ep 3

 

"To me, you are my belief and my my world. So I will do everything you believe in. I'll be on the same side with you and live in the world you live in" - Jisu, ep 3

 

cto:

 

I like their younger version. College  Jaehyun with his idealism, his campaigns, the protest and rallies,  arm in arm with laborers protecting their rights. Championing their cause.  collegeJisu liking him so much , being in love and and impressed, joined him in his rallies and protest,  became active participant at the cost getting hurt, landing in jail. The slap and anger of  the chief prosecutor father. At first it's to be with  Jaehyun and to see him  but later on I think she undertood his idealms and what he was up against or fightin for.

 

Adult Jisu and Jaehyun feels subdued. There's sadness and sorrow. It's tame.  Both of them still having that feelings for each other,. And with their current status on opposite ends,  it becomes a barrier.

 

I wanted adult Jaehyun to have that same conviction, princples and attitude like he had back in college.  I finding him  tame at the moment. Letting himself be jailed, being used by dirty possibly corrupt chaebol chairman of Hyung Sung corporation. Well maybe he has an agenda we don't know but I dounbt I'll see a  college Jaehyun with princples and ideals be in thisa position.

 

I wanted adult Jisu to be like her younger self. Confident, brave,  bold. Heck, she went to  the law dept to look for him, went to library to check on him. Shhe was always there for him. Because Jaehyun was busy being student council, leader,  law student doing protests, it's up to her to do the moves but Jaehyun appreciated they became close an the rest is sweet young love.

 

 But again after reuniting seeing each other after decades,  you can actually see they still have feelings for each others. Jisu keeping her feelings  more hidden in hear heart more so. I think they both suffered miserably with their lives after college leading their present circumstances. Her father blaming her for mother's death. Him....well something happened that seems to have change his dispostion or ideals. I think it's still there except in present time, he's  married to chaebols daughter, is puppet of the chairman and has to do his dirity stuff.  If he ever tries to make Seo Kyung unhappy,  he will face consequence from the chairman.  He was warned.

 

18 hours ago, plappi said:

I would like the boys to become friends. They both found themselves in a difficult situation because of their parents. And I want to think that Joon Seo is just rebelling against it like an ordinary teenager, and not at all so bad in itself.

@plappi I agree.  They should becomes friends. I feel sad for both of them.  I think Joon Seo not close to his father too and I feel the distance there. Given that he was out of his life  for four years and maybe  even  when he was child. (I wonder if he married Seo Kyung  because she got pregnant?). Absence of father or not being wanted can affect a child. As for Young Min, he does  have relationship with  the father but I feel his sadness, his situation with the divorced parents, there seems to be tug of war for him. It's affecting. He loves his mother. He understands Jisu's situation. Their situation.

 

The children are always the ones affected by adult's complicated relationships. 

 

Anyway, I don't have the eloquence to say my two cents worth with regards to characters scenes of child rearing and discipline  I'm not yet a parent. I will leave the discussion to the experts.

[plappi]

58 minutes ago, jongski said:

I wanted adult Jaehyun to have that same conviction, princples and attitude like he had back in college.  I finding him  tame at the moment. Letting himself be jailed, being used by dirty possibly corrupt chaebol chairman of Hyung Sung corporation. Well maybe he has an agenda we don't know but I dounbt I'll see a  college Jaehyun with princples and ideals be in thisa position.

 

I'm still inclined to think that JH is specifically to marry SK, and he has a plan against her father.

[airgelaal]

8 hours ago, sal2 said:

 I also wonder if he deep inside feel disgusted letting himself being his father in law "dog". 

He already answered

 

Spoiler

 

[ktcjdrama]

6 hours ago, FactChecker said:

his show is just a nice calm drama and should not be overanalyzed. It is definitely not the type of show that has all kinds of easter eggs hidden, so I should stop looking for them.

 

5 hours ago, chickfactor said:

 

My point is: this is HIGH MELODRAMA. Expect a whole lot more slaps and people throwing wine/soju/water at others. A whole lot of swelling music, a whole lot of crying. Tragic backstory for both our leads. You either embrace that or you don't. It's cool either way.

 

Couldn’t agree more. So let’s stop over-analyzing every scenes and actions, or having too high an expectation for any characters, and just enjoy this plain old school drama. 

[thistle]

33 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

So let’s stop over-analyzing every scenes and actions, or having too high an expectation for any characters, and just enjoy this plain old school drama. 

 

Exactly.  It's a drama. Let's enjoy watching the story unfold without expectation.

[celebrianna]

2 hours ago, FactChecker said:

Thank you for your view. But your view is very Western, but you need to understand that East-Asian countries are built on Confucianism. It is a society where "duty", "shame", "honor" and "collectivism" is more important. I am not able to explain these concepts very well, so I looked up an article for you that gives more color on this topic: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/minority-report/201406/asian-shame-and-honor.

 

The East-Asian society is not a supportive one, where you can freely and openly communicate with each other. It is understandable that the mother is ignoring the problems with her bullying kid, because seeking help is the ultimate blow of humiliation, as it brings shame to her family. To her, her own family is more important than JS' family. You might find this way of thinking deplorable, but these same principles have also good sides. The collective (us against them), no complain/ no open communicating nature found in Confucianism has made countries such as China, Japan and Korea extremely successful. What you are asking from the kid's mom is to be less Korean, which is kinda hard...

 
And thank you for your view but I’m quite acquainted with Asian culture, the importance they place on filial duty, family honor and so on. 
 

I’m not asking a thing from the kid’s mom. She can be an awful mom for all I care. My point is, posts are saying that HJH should be the one to teach the kid right from wrong but I’m saying the onerous is also on the kid’s mom. Why dump it all on HJH? Hopefully the mom taking responsibility for her kid is not too Western of a thinking. I would like to think Ji Soo taught her son well and that’s why he’s a nice kid who owns up to his faults.
 

@ktcjdrama, sorry this is my last post and then I’ll stop after this. Sucking the enjoyment out of the drama is never cool. 

[sheherizade3]

 

After watching episodes 3 and 4, it's now obvious that YJS led a pitiful life; a physically and emotionally abused daughter of a cruel father, treated abominably by her mother-in-law, looked down upon by the other mothers in her son's school and to add to that, a former prisoner.  So, at a young age, she coped by showing a happy and cheerful facade.  My question is, is this still happening in South Korea?  If my mother-in-law slapped me, I'll have her arrested for assault.  

 

I have issues with episodes 3 and 4.  They were filled with cliches;  the broken heel I've seen in other dramas and it's been done a million times.  Then, there's the repetitive cinderella like action of HJH of replacing her broken boots/shoes with his own to mirror what his younger self did for her.  

 

It's a given that Jang Seo Kyung, HJH's wife is a spoiled, self-entitled heiress.  Can't the writer think of a better way for her to get back at YJS than try to embarrass her in public?  Not only that, it's supposed to be JSK's party to promote her company, and her action was really, really childish and cheap.  She's the CEO of a company, and as such, she'd behave with decorum in public, no matter how nasty she is as a person.  So it's not realistic that she'd behave the way she did.  It's like watching mean girls and another one of those melo cliches.  What I don't like about this is that JSK, HJH, and YJS are all middle aged individuals and the writer is treating this drama like they never grew up, like they were still in high school.  Oh, and what are the chances that her father did the same thing; throwing a drink all over her.  It's like being hit by lighting twice.  

 

I'm afraid that this drama may just be one, long pity party for YJS that will end badly or worst, tragically.  The issue is HJH.  He went to prison for his father-in-law.  That tells me that he would do everything to stay where he is, a man who enjoys the finer things in life at the expense of his moral values, and that with YJS, he might just be trying to capture his youth.  But then, when push comes to shove, he'll choose his wife and dump YJS.

 

That kiss that YJS initiated at the end of episode 4 may mean that she finally realized that it was time for her to spread her wings and take life by the horns and pursue her happiness.  

 

The above promotional image of YJS with HJH, shows a sultry, sexy woman, self-confident and not afraid to go for what she wants and that is, HJH.  I hope she becomes this woman as the drama progress.  As for HJH, if he really loved her, he should divorce his cheating wife to pursue his own happiness and take back his good, empathetic, helping-the-downtrodden self that he lost along the way.

 

Here's the piano version that Lee Bo Young played in Episode 1 performed by Andre Gagnon, anotherCanadian composer, conductor, arranger, and actor, accompanied by an orchestra.  I feel like flying when I listen to this.

 

 

 

[enchantedyears]

Full version of the beautiful poem at the end of ep. 4

 

 

And apparently When My Love Blooms was the winner of an SBS contest held 6 years ago. No wonder we got so many tropes that were prominent at that time, including the kimchi slap reference 

[thistle]

37 minutes ago, enchantedyears said:

And apparently When My Love Blooms was the winner of an SBS contest held 6 years ago. No wonder we got so many tropes that were prominent at that time, including the kimchi slap reference 

 

 

Interesting!  I wonder why they waited so long to make the series.  And I kinda wonder why they didn't tweak it to ease up on some of the old tropes.

[ktcjdrama]

1 hour ago, thistle said:

why they didn't tweak it to ease up on some of the old tropes.

Old tropes done well, still bring out the magic of viewers engagement

[thistle]

2 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

Old tropes done well, still bring out the magic of viewers engagement

 

True that.    I have no complaint, although kimchi slaps must kinda sting--hope that they actors get hazard pay!  

[jareen]

Well, eastern or western culture of upbringing differ time to time as we watch in dramas,movies or documentaries,  yet I don’t find anything wrong with JH behaviour towards JS's son after "chair incident".

Yes, JH distance  is vividly visible with his own son and i think writer try to justify this with one or two liner. They can't invest more in that because the drama is not about the Children it’s about their parents. So, as an audience we have to fill the gap whatever explanation we would like to add to that fact.& it will vary person to person.   But, I hope their relationship grow up more and more cause as a father he need it.Otherwise, he will be only the sperm donner not the "father". It’s only 4 episode on board so let's hope for the best. Miles to go before this drama end!       

Back to JH and JS's son, as i am from Asian country and i can relate to this scene positively. You know, sometimes both parents can be jerk and passed it to the child from generation to generation. But sometimes one parents support the right thing and apologise if needed to minimize drastic situation.If it was not that we would provably live in  devil's den. But morality exists in the world for this variation. And younger JH portrayed as an Ideal human.It’s natural he would react that way when he knew his child past history.And when the boy is your juniors/ past lover’s(whom he is searching for 20 years,still holding emotional attachment),things get more personal. That's the reason he confront  him (even I would if i see that gloomy face of this child!) and give some positive energy to that child.The hospital thing is for that too. 

 

Anyway, JS and JH have their own handful of problem to solve before anything could happen. And the kiss make it impulsive that they'll definitely realise in the next episode because they're adults.I am sure(actually,hope)they'll as I hate cheating under any circumstances. 

It’s a "melo" and "DRAMA" , so let's just enjoy the ride.