[Drama 2020] When My Love Blooms, 화양연화

[dairymilks]

I hate the wife, too, there's something about her overall vibe. Personally, I don't find her beautiful, which all the more makes me not like her. 

 

Anyway, I love how adult Jisoo dealt with the other mom and the resignation from the committee. She knows she doesn't have to suck up to those moms and the position was the least of her concern. It's sad how she lost her old self through those 20+ years, it's clear that the reality of adulthood has taken a toll on her. I wish she would live her life with dignity, though, it was so easy for her to drop to her knees and beg for Seokyung's forgiveness. 

 

The preview for episode 3 is making me excited for the 1993 scenes, that kiss in the phone booth?? OMG 

[ponderings]

1 hour ago, eternal dream said:

For Jaehyun and Jisu's love to bloom again, Jaehyun needs to divorce his wife. I feel uncomfortable with him "stalking" and being around Jisu when he is still married even though it is a loveless marriage at this point.

 

 

Same. The "stalking" is kind of uncomfortable and we see this "stalking" in other kdramas. 

But the writer approached it differently in his character.

At first he denies that it is stalking and tells his driver that it is for "good intentions". 

And then later on he scoffs at himself..."good intentions"...no it's stalking. He admits it himself. He's self conscious. I'm hoping that the writer does more in bringing attention to this behavior and realization.

 

 

Another favorite scene that just came back to me

When they meet again and walk to a countryside stay-in place, she walks behind him. He stops, turns around, and tells her to follow closely after his footprints. She does follow closely, but she decides to step next to his footprints! I love it! She has a sense of self. <3

[africandramalover]

I'm in the minority.... I love the mean chaebol wife!! She is the Korean Chaebol Heiress Archetype we know and despise from years of drama watching. I've watched the actress since way back when, but I won't pretend to be a die hard fan. In her bag of tricks she has one particular expression with her upper lip that low-key annoys me when I see it...lol. For some strange reason though, I love her in this drama!! I love her character's styling, the cheating arrogance .... maybe it's the stark contrast to the worn out main leads.  Lee Bo Young is executing the "worn out from life" character so well!

 

I also think that Ji Soo's ex husband still loves her. I would venture to say that he agreed to the divorce because she wanted it and gave Ji Soo what she wanted out of the divorce but will use the son as a reason to keep seeing her. At the moment, I don't consider him evil YET.

 

I'm loving the drama so much! I replayed the hell out of last scene in episode one and I plan to rewatch the two episodes this week. It's a shame about the ratings drop tho... 

 

Where is the storyline going? I don't know, I'm here for the long stares, brooding, LBY's tears on command, melodrama and hopefully a proper kiss. Even though the story is nothing new and simple (jailtime, first loves, arrogant chaebols ), there's enough problems ahead to create a great drama. What happened in the past to change their characters so much? Will Jae Hyun leave his wife for  Ji-Soo? How do Jae Hyun and Ji Soo get together when their kids are enemies? I think that is a greater problem down the road than Seo Kyeong and Jae Hyun divorcing. The potential for conflict is endless and I am here for it!!

 

 

[Latte_Anyday]

As expected of Park Si Yeon LoL. She excels in playin' a witch. I am reminded of her role in Innocent Man which bears some similarities. Bo Young is good in emo scenes, I just laugh whenever they cut to scenes of a younger Ji Soo with wind blowing her hair like a commercial LMFAo!

     Ji Tae is so expressive with his eyes (sigh dreamily~) I think it's a business arrangement for both Ji Soo and Jae Hyun's marriages. The lawyer Ji Soo married appear to be of convenience sake. As South Korea frowns upon single unwed mothers.. It's the same for Jae Hyun too (I hope LoL) the son takes after his mom ugh. What a brat!

     I swear only in K-Dramas that stalking isn't a crime. When can I ever get a hot CEO to stalk me hu..hu..hu..?!?! Poor Jun Woo Jae Hyun's assistant/minion ahahah but he thinks Ji Soo's a pretty Ahjumma. I am enjoying this drama so far despite it's very cliched premise, as I mentioned before the strength of the cast is what draws me in.    

  

[Samuel Yohanes]

3 hours ago, eternal dream said:

For Jaehyun and Jisu's love to bloom again, Jaehyun needs to divorce his wife. I feel uncomfortable with him "stalking" and being around Jisu when he is still married even though it is a loveless marriage at this point.

 

I wonder why JH married JSK when he doesn't seem to love her. When he saw that pic of her having an affair, he didn't feel heartbroken or surprised. He might already knew(?) when he gave her that look when asking her why she is going to Hawaii and she had to assure him it's a business trip.

 

I'm happy to see Park Siyeon but oh my gosh I hate Jang Seo Kyung. Even her first scene I can feel she will be a total spoiled B*. She is someone who hates when people touch her belonging. She will go insane just to ruin someone's life for it. Therefore, she won't divorce Jaehyun easily. I feel like she knows about Jisu's and Jaehyun's story.

 

I watch this for Lee Bo Young and Yoo Ji Tae but I fall for Jeon Sonee. She is pretty in all of the outfits she wears. Young Jaehyun and young Jisu scenes are heart fluttering. 

i think both have the same problem.

 

jaehyun need to get out from his marriage with JSK ( although this one seems only for the money i suppose ) 

ji soo need to get out too from the shadow of her ex husband that wait for her fall so either she came back to him or taking everything away from her ( her kids ). 

 

for the stalking part i think he learn from Ji soo old self who is actively stalking jaehyun and "force" him too accept her. i think it will reflect to today part but in reverse. 

 

this will be a healing mature melodrama that shows how your first love can change your life. 

 

both jaehyun and jisoo is on broken state now. but i think because they meet again together the broken part can be healed together.  

 

you know there is some mirror act from both the lead that point out here.

 

back then Jae Hyun is the self right person that lead the demonstration while ji soo was looking at him. but now he is the one who got egged by the demonstration. such a 180 turn from him. 

 

while ji soo is the one who do the demonstration now while jae hyun looking at her. 

 

and how ji soo from rich family suddenly struggle while jae hyun now seems very rich and yeah both is unhappy with their current live. 

 

i wonder why ji soo denied all the alimony and the parent support so she can get away from her husband? i guess to cut all ties so he didnt interfere with her life again? i think it is connected to her father sickness maybe.

[plappi]

And I think, could it be that JH's son is not his at all?
Otherwise I don't see opportunities for developing their relationship. How can he leave his family?

 

 

[enchantedyears]

I was having withdrawal symptoms from When the Weather is Fine and someone on Reddit recommended When My Love Blooms. So I decided to watch the first two episodes before I went to bed last night. I completely fell in love with everything, the cast, the presentation, the plot, everything 

 

This is gonna sound nuts but when you ignore some story lines, When My Love Blooms can be the sequel to When the Weather is Fine (maybe it exists in an alternate universe of some sort) due to these similarities: both FL went to university for music, first love nostalgia element, literary pieces to bring story lines together, the leads watched a movie together (Love Letter made Jisu cry, The Classic made Haewon happy), memorable object (keychain vs. handkerchief), seasonal element (winter for sadness and spring to signify happy days?), and when Jaehyun said "I know my way around countrysides like this" I SCREAMED BECAUSE HE REMINDS ME OF EUNSEOB SO MUCH.

 

If anyone wants to make a crossover fanfic about the two dramas, I volunteer to be a consultant!!! 

[dairymilks]

I think Jaehyun and Jisoo's separation had to do with the part in the teaser where Jaehyun was being arrested by the military. They had to separate because of the protest/campaign they took part in at the time. I searched Google for relevant events in Korea back in 1993 but didn't find anything. 

 

For some reason, this reminds me of Love Rain, minus the kids. I just remember Yoonhee and Inha parted ways because Inha got arrested and Yoonhee had to leave for the States because of her disease. Then 30~40 ish years later they met again. 

I'm expecting a happy ending for these two, because I think writer's intention is for them to go back to their youth and reminisce those moments, and remind themselves of who they once were. Jaehyun's story reminds me of tales of passionate students who once fiercely fought for social equality and injustice who suddenly had a shift in perspective in adulthood because they needed to survive the harsh reality of capitalism. After having studied in a university where sociopolitical organizations thrived and fellow students were shamed for ignorance, I have heard this story frequently from peers who hope that their unwavering morals do not change forever.

 

I don't see that Jaehyun loves her wife, he seems to have married her for convenience. Jaehyun might be able to expose the corruption within the company, divorce Seokyung, and live happily ever after with Jisoo. 

 

 

[jongski]

I knew it.. We all feel the same. It's  romantic melodrama.  Mature actor, emotional, romatntic. Spanning  two decades. They met when they were in college.  They're now in their present 40's. They reunite.. but the love always there. As they share love only unique to then... like their fav movie Love Letter or the  piano tune Ji Soo always plays.

 

And as @maddymappo   it gave that " The Way We Were feels.  I also said it gave me My Love Eun-Dong vibes.

 

On 4/24/2020 at 12:58 AM, maddymappo said:

Sounds just a tad like Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford movie The Way We Were..  rebels as youth, then become different as older adults.  

 

Yes. That old school vibes....

 

11 hours ago, sal2 said:

Really loved the two episodes. It kinda feel old school drama, but also have fresh element too

 

Exactly my thoughts.  Ahem.. as I've been saying from page 1 of thread up to now and I quote myself several times like a broken record

 

On 11/5/2019 at 1:01 AM, jongski said:

I'm thinking..old school kdrama.

 

On 1/18/2020 at 1:29 PM, jongski said:

I hope this is good.. old school good type of drama.

 

On 2/11/2020 at 5:03 PM, jongski said:

Waiting for this drama. I old school melodrama..but no makjang all the way.

 

18 hours ago, jongski said:

Finished episode one. Ah the romance.  That 'Endless Love'  oldschool Kdrama feels.

 

And yes.. I got teary eyed on the last scene..

 

cr:

 

I'm going to watch episode 2 later... but thanks for all the recaps and wonderful post  chingus

 

By the way, why was Jaehyun in jail for four years?

 

[plappi]

3 hours ago, corey said:

Judging from the timeline, I very much doubt that JH's son is not his son. Both boys are in the same class and therefore both 14 (although they seem like 8-9 years old to me). Assuming the drama takes place in 2019, they were born around 2006 (assuming 14 is Korean age). JS went to prison in 2004 and the lawyer was not married to her then. I assume she married him after her prison sentence.  I also assume that JH was married already when his child was born. Do you think that both JH and JS cheated on their respective spouses with each other so early in their marriages? Highly unlikely.

 

 

Wife could cheat on him ))) 

 

13 minutes ago, jongski said:

 

By the way, why was Jaehyun in jail for four years?

 

 

JH wife’s father asked him to take responsibility apparently for some fraud and go to jail instead of him. And when JH comes out of prison, wife’s father promised him a managerial position at the head office. But he deceived JH.

[sal2]

Looks like JS son YM was gonna write a letter to his mom to really his feelings. I really feel bad for the kid suffering in silence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also I was surprised his son was calling his dad about his mother opening a hearing. I wonder if it lay some complicated emotion behind his bulling. Looks like the son was a bully in the past too. To me it looks like son and father have nice report, but wonder how affected his son was having his dad away for 4 years in prison. At least JH could see there was something more going on and that YM did not hit his son without a reason. 

 

 

 

[celebrianna]

9 hours ago, Fabbo said:

I tried really hard to concentrate and break the spell to not just stupidly stare at Lee Bo-young the whole time... Just wow

 

 And I keep thinking what a lucky person Ji Sung is.

 

@Samuel Yohanes, thanks for reminding us that she was stalking him in the past too. 

@plappi, I get your point. You might be thinking that since his wife cheats there could be a possibility that the kid is not HJH’s son. Hmmm. I guess only time will tell.

[Guest]

This drama......it such a LBY drama, it's so well written, the Actors are insane, the second episode already completely drags you in, so many emotions already. I totally can't wait for the third episode.

YJT gaze at the end, how determined and strong he looks, such willpower just in his eyes, it's so amazing. I love the drama already. It is such a pleasure watching two outstanding actors. LBY has such a good hand at picking roles. 

Both compliment each other so well. I feel like I am already completely soaked in. There will be a lot of pain and they have to go through a lot, but I am ready to follow them on their path. I almost have a few "One Spring Night" vibes. 

Jae-Hyun is already working against his wife, so they will have a war starting very soon. 

 

JSN plays her role so well also, she really is a girl every guy dreams of.  

[mizv]

Happy to finally grab a drama that has pulled me in right from the start.  as I have been aimlessly walking in and out dramas to find my click!  
 

very good plot and looking forward to where this storyline is going to go.  I don’t have too much to analyze at the moment.  still trying to digest the many change of events in only 2 episodes!

[jfritz09]

5 hours ago, Dhakra said:

 

JSN plays her role so well also, she really is a girl every guy dreams of.  

 

I know, right?

Sometimes, I wanted to reach into the screen, grab Park Jin Young's character by the collar and shout at him: "What are you doing? Do you know how many guys would do anything to have a girl like that chase after them? Stop trying to act cool and just date her!"  

 

[plappi]

Stop. Am I confusing something? JH and JS be 13 years old in 1993 if they are now 40 years old? How could they be such big students in 1993?

[Favnia]

Ok so i just finished the second episode and I really like the retro setting, it's very sweet and romantic and the characters are very nice and likeable. 

Which I cannot say about the present Ji Soo. All these episodes she's pitying herself, and it's kind of exhausting. Also I get that she wants to protect her kid but he hit his classmate with a chair. Frankly, it's not only in this kdrama when they try to justify the actions of the protagonist by villainizing the secondary characters but I just don't like it. I don't care if your wife is the devil herself - being together with her while stalking another woman is cheating. 

Also ji soo is bottling herself in this situation without thinking what's better for the kid. Of course, the father of the boy will turn out to be evil in the next episodes but for now I'm thinking that maybe he should be living with his dad. How did Ji Soo get custody with the criminal record? Was it mentioned?

But yeah, I'm just annoyed by this "he is such a sweet boy, he'd never hit someone with a chair". Well, he did. If it happened in my country this kid would be kicked out of school, they would not even consult with the parents. 

 

But overall: the actors are very good, and the characters are easy to follow. I also like this slow pace and lots of metaphors and poetry. 

I couldn't help but notice that this kdrama is kind of political and I wonder if it's sponsored by a political party? I'm pretty sure the elections are happening soon in Korea. 

[airgelaal]

12 hours ago, Samuel Yohanes said:

i wonder why ji soo denied all the alimony and the parent support so she can get away from her husband? i guess to cut all ties so he didnt interfere with her life again? i think it is connected to her father sickness maybe.

Ji Soo said to her ex-husband: I keep my manners only for humans. So I think, he did something terrible.

But she herself can be culprit, because her father kept a family photo without her

 

 

[Helena]

https://www.soompi.com/article/1396956wpp/watch-lee-bo-young-got7s-jinyoung-and-more-are-embarrassed-about-acting-romantic-on-when-my-love-blooms-set

Watch: Lee Bo Young, GOT7’s Jinyoung, And More Are Embarrassed About Acting Romantic On “When My Love Blooms” Set

Apr 27, 2020

by L. Kim

 

tvN’s “When My Love Blooms” has shared a new behind-the-scenes video of Lee Bo Young, Yoo Ji Tae, GOT7’s Jinyoung, and Jeon So Nee!

 

The drama is about Han Jae Hyun (played by Yoo Ji Tae) and Yoon Ji Soo (played by Lee Bo Young), who first get to know each other in college, then unexpectedly cross paths again many years later. GOT7’s Jinyoung and Jeon So Nee play the characters during their younger years in the 1990s, when Han Jae Hyun is a naive, idealistic student who believes passionately in justice and is heavily involved in student movements.

 

The making-of video starts off with Lee Bo Young and Yoo Ji Tae playfully arguing about who the clip should start off with. Lee Bo Young says, “The tallest person goes first,” while Yoo Ji Tae comments, “Ladies first.” Eventually, the camera zooms in on Yoo Ji Tae, and he waves at the camera with a warm smile.

 

During filming, Lee Bo Young can’t stop laughing as she curls her hands into fists, cringing from the sweet scene when Yoo Ji Tae pulls a thorn out of her hand. She makes a blooper because of the awkwardness and asks to redo the scene. She manages to pull through, but she almost bursts into laughter when he improvises, saying, “[The thorn] isn’t coming out easily…” However, she manages to immerse herself back into her role, and the scene ends with success.

 

Later on, the cast and crew celebrate Lee Bo Young’s birthday, and she blushes in embarrassment when everyone starts singing to her. Yoo Ji Tae gives her a bouquet of red roses, and Lee Bo Young gratefully bows as she accepts his gift.

 

Next, Jinyoung appears on the screen as he acts out the part where his character makes a passionate speech about political affairs. During a break, the camera director asks how he feels, and he honestly replies, “First off, I’m losing my voice. It was an important scene, and I think it was filmed successfully.”

 

The clip shows a glimpse of Jinyoung becoming embarrassed while rehearsing his lines. Jinyoung continues, “There are many rocks of burden in my heart.” Suddenly, he points to the empty ground and says, “Do you see these rocks? The things you can see only when you’re an innocent child.” Then he adds, “I’m glad that I was able to get this over with.”

 

Jinyoung isn’t the only one who’s feeling the pressure. Jeon So Nee laughs in front of the piano as she says, “I think I’m going to die!” Despite her worry, she puts on a sweet performance, and once filming ends, she smiles shyly.

 

Watch the making-of video here:

“When My Love Blooms” airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9 p.m. KST.

 

Watch the latest episode on Viki below!

 

WATCH NOW

[celebrianna]

11 hours ago, sal2 said:

Looks like JS son YM was gonna write a letter to his mom to really his feelings. I really feel bad for the kid suffering in silence.

I would like to know why her son doesn’t tell her what’s going on. Perhaps he already understands that in their society rich people can trample over other people with impunity. Probably he already knows that his mom won’t win against them so all he has to do is endure the rich kid’s bullying. Perhaps he also thinks that as long as he continues to attend the prestigious boarding school then his “well to do” dad and his grandmother won’t object to his mother keeping custody of him. Meanwhile, the spoilt rich brat bullies him in a way where there’s no clear proof:

 

1. He bumps into him and willfully spills his food all over his white shirt that is worn as his school uniform.

2. He tears the pages out of his text books. 
3. Who knows what else he has done to the poor kid.

 

Then the mother of the rich brat knows full well what her son might be capable of since he has a past record but she plainly says it doesn’t matter if it’s her kid’s provocation or her kid’s fault. The fact is nobody should touch her kid. I agree with her though that YJS’ son should not have thrown the chair at the rich brat.
 

I hope YJS gets to the bottom of the issue. I don’t understand how she didn’t pursue this further with her son. The kid seems well behaved and focused on his school work and staying out of trouble. Obviously something triggered this behavior so she should not let it slide.