[Drama 2020] My prettiest moments /When I Was the Prettiest, 내가 가장 예뻤을 때

[fragglerock]

Not sure about real life but have to keep in mind with alot of these drama's it the families that control their children's relationships.  The parents try to control, who you marry, when, when you divorce, when you should have children etc..  This emotionless control has consequences as its people with emotions (love, hate or utter loathing..lol) that end up going down this rollercoaster.....

[cafe99]

I liked the ending, i think they could be together in a few years/in the future. Things happens, people don't choose who they fall in love with, and besides, they are both adults: it's not a crime for two blood unrelated aduls to love each other. Sure, people may not be ok with it, but to each their own. I guess if people are always looking of what other people will think about ther life & choices, the they are up to live an unhappy life, as long as they don't comit crimes or intentionally hurt others, i think people are ok doing what they think it's best for them/makes then happy.

 

And if people thinks this if selfish and curse them out, it's because they are hypocrites they want others to be unhappy just to satisfy their beliefs: "oh! how could YOU be so selfish to go for your own happiness!?? two fully grown unrelated adults falling in love? shame, shame, shame! Please don't be happy because that upsets ME and doesn't go with what *I* think how people should live THEIR lives. Please be unhappy with YOUR life because that makes ME happy since that goes with my OWN narrative/beliefs. Don't YOU dare to be so selfish,just be unhappy for ME, okay?"

[sken40]

The ending  is what I have expected. The drama is pretty good at least for me.

[D27Gjk68]

43 minutes ago, foreverempress said:

Indirect  Subtext within slick context of characters, but in reality, its a knock at me.

 

You go girl! Follow your happiness and go in fall in love and get with a minor teenage boy and enjoy the jail time and humiliation from statutory rape. Go after your former student Ye Ji. Bridgette Macron of France fell in love with her 14 year old student & did not wait until he is grown. She eventually married the young teen who is now the President of France & the French people love her so much that they REFUSED to give her the title First Lady. People who think it is morally corrupt are haters and unhappy in their lives. Go Ye Jin! Get your brother in law because only YOUR feelings matter; you are in a world with just you and him. Go Hwan! Keep on pursuing your brothers wife; F- that dude. He is a piece of trash. Dance into the sunset.

 

You are not being selfish which means "concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself : seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others and arising from concern with one's own welfare or advantage in disregard of others".

 

This is 2020 Ye Jin, being immoral does not matter as long as YOU are happy.

 

I thought Ye Jin and Hwan spent ~7 years suppressing their feelings for each other and being concerned excessively with others (Hwan obviously didn't do as good a job of that.)  I still hated the ending.

[foreverempress]

22 minutes ago, D27Gjk68 said:

 

I thought Ye Jin and Hwan spent ~7 years suppressing their feelings for each other and being concerned excessively with others (Hwan obviously didn't do as good a job of that.)  I still hated the ending.

Hwan said, "to hell with that". I have no gripes with Ye Ji, my primary gripe is with the writer and this whack script. She tried to villianize her 2nd lead to justify her story. I think she wrote Grand Prince too. I don't like adultery; it is immoral and in a lot of cases can be work through if true repentance and understanding on what led to it, but I can and have enjoyed compelling stories around the topic while still reiterating the repugnancy of it.

 

At times, both of them were selfish.

 

 

[riverie]

2 hours ago, cafe99 said:

I liked the ending, i think they could be together in a few years/in the future. Things happens, people don't choose who they fall in love with, and besides, they are both adults: it's not a crime for two blood unrelated aduls to love each other. Sure, people may not be ok with it, but to each their own. I guess if people are always looking of what other people will think about ther life & choices, the they are up to live an unhappy life, as long as they don't comit crimes or intentionally hurt others, i think people are ok doing what they think it's best for them/makes then happy.

 

And if people thinks this if selfish and curse them out, it's because they are hypocrites they want others to be unhappy just to satisfy their beliefs: "oh! how could YOU be so selfish to go for your own happiness!?? two fully grown unrelated adults falling in love? shame, shame, shame! Please don't be happy because that upsets ME and doesn't go with what *I* think how people should live THEIR lives. Please be unhappy with YOUR life because that makes ME happy since that goes with my OWN narrative/beliefs. Don't YOU dare to be so selfish,just be unhappy for ME, okay?"

hahah, so true. I feel you. Anyway it is so hard to meet any decent human being these days. Then imagine you meet someone about whom ye ji says, ' we share the same soul', imagine letting go of someone like that. 

Also what I found funny about jin that even at the end he says, don't even think about getting back with hwan. What will people say. Even at the end he doesn't wish her good luck or that she be truly happy. 

That's the difference between him and hwan. He wanted to keep ye ji by his side no matter what. Hwan wanted true happiness for ye ji, with or without him. 

1 hour ago, foreverempress said:

You go girl! Follow your happiness and go in fall in love and get with a minor teenage boy and enjoy the jail time and humiliation from statutory rape.

I have to roll eyes at this. Who was going after whom? :S I can't believe you are using the r word so casually. Let's not get so excited, over a drama lol. Also to each his or her own. Opinions are individualistic as we come from different background, norms, beliefs, traditions. 

[foreverempress]

3 hours ago, riverie said:

hahah, so true. I feel you. Anyway it is so hard to meet any decent human being these days. Then imagine you meet someone about whom ye ji says, ' we share the same soul', imagine letting go of someone like that. 

Also what I found funny about jin that even at the end he says, don't even think about getting back with hwan. What will people say. Even at the end he doesn't wish her good luck or that she be truly happy. 

That's the difference between him and hwan. He wanted to keep ye ji by his side no matter what. Hwan wanted true happiness for ye ji, with or without him. 

I have to roll eyes at this. Who was going after whom? :S I can't believe you are using the r word so casually. Let's not get so excited, over a drama lol. Also to each his or her own. Opinions are individualistic as we come from different background, norms, beliefs, traditions. 

I have to roll eyes back.  I was taking what the poster said in sarcasm and stretching it out to its logical conclusion. In other words, do all those things for your happiness because that will be the reality. I'll use whatever words that I want to in the proper context so pump your brakes on trying to police my speech. Hwan wanted Ye Ji with him at all costs.

 

OAN. Korean movies tend to be hardcore and have explored this subject. I watched a film from 1998 called "An Affair" starring the actress "Lee Mi-sook". Her character was married with a 8 year old son. Her younger sister by 10 years was in America and was engaged to another Korean. They moved back from America and the sister introduced them and asked her to help her fiance find their new marital home. They started an affair and claimed they were in love. They eventually get busted and the fiance wanted to marry her. Big sis fish tank got rocked by little sis. Big sis abandons her husband and son to chase her love. Too late, he already left the country...turns out, he was on the same flight and they never knew.

[Romance Tag]

14 hours ago, calledtoteach said:

Please, don’t take offense.  I only posed a “what if” because these situations do occur in real life.  I am not saying I agree or disagree — just playing “the Devil’s advocate”.

I am not sure whether you are addressing anybody in particular. 

However, I can say that it wasn't offensive to me at all. You did say you were just curious 

 

 

 

 

As for the ending I took it as a very much an open ending. Whoever wishes to think they parted ways forever can think this, while others can think they will meet sometime in the future and finally be happy together. I place myself firmly in the second category, I mean when you have loved somebody for that long it doesn't just go away. 

[TRAN]

On 10/16/2020 at 11:56 AM, chickfactor said:

 

.... 

Both Hwan and Ye-Ji have acknowledged - they have strong feelings for each other, but they won't act on it. And I don't think anyone can judge them for that. People can't help the way they feel, but they can control their behavior. And I think both people have shown that they are willing to not act on their feelings - not to adhere to societal expectations, but out of respect for their family - which I think is an important distinction.

 

Ultimately, they're both just considerate people, not the kind of people who take whatever they want at the expense of others. It's a very "Age of Innocence" type of ending - what they love about each other turns out to be the very reason they can't be together. I wasn't expecting this exact ending, but it felt right.

 

Yes, we are different from animals that we have the brain to control. And to know what's right and wrong. 

 

I'm glad she didn't end up with Hwan, but confessed that she'd loved him all these years huh.?

[chickfactor]

11 hours ago, Romance Tag said:

 

As for the ending I took it as a very much an open ending. Whoever wishes to think they parted ways forever can think this, while others can think they will meet sometime in the future and finally be happy together. I place myself firmly in the second category, I mean when you have loved somebody for that long it doesn't just go away. 

 

 

That's exactly how I interpreted it, too.

 

They've confirmed their feelings. He'll be gone for three years. That's a long time, but they've already waited a whole lot longer. I think if they both feel the same after the three years (and it's been pretty well established, underlined, and emphasized that they will) they'll reunite.

[riverie]

@Romance Tag @chickfactor haha yes, especially since hwan has ye ji's email address, I bet he's gonna keep sending emails to her.

Also it's interesting, how right after coming back from meeting hwan, ye ji tells her mom, now I am never gonna meet that person again. As if she is giving answer to her own self. 

[MinLyn]

Hi all! It's been brought to our attention about the heated discussion on this drama thread. Hence, we would like to remind all posters about our rules in the Soompi Forum and the K-Dramas & Movies Sub-Forum. We have hereby pasted the rules for your easy reference. Please kindly pay attention to the words highlighted in bold.

 

Soompi Forum Rules

 

Rule Number 2 :-

NO DISRUPTIVE OR DISCRIMINATORY CONTENT, NO BULLYING
Rudeness, hateful messages, member bashing, and trolling are forbidden.Constant bullying will result in a permanent ban on your account and all future accounts. Depending on severity, we may provide user data to local authorities.

 

K-Dramas & Movies Sub-Forum Rules

 

Rule Number 3 :-

Do not bash drama and movie characters, actors, actresses, or other members, or post untrue information. 

Bashing will not be tolerated by any means and will result in a warning.This includes but is not limited to the usage of derogatory remarks, spreading rumors, swearing, etc. Please respect each others' difference of opinions.    

 

Do bear in mind that this is a public forum so it is of great pertinence that we learn to respect one another's views and opinions. Please use only appropriate words in the content of your posts. Just as important is to be aware of the tone of language we use in our writing as this is likely to have a negative impact on the other Soompiers. 

 

It is perfectly fine for us to be engaged in friendly discussions about the drama and their characters but we will appreciate if the discussions do not escalate into any form of bashing on the members, lest of all using offensive and abusive words. Please kindly be reminded that bullying will not be tolerated nor condoned. As outlined in the forum rules, constant bullying of another fellow Soompier will result in a permanent ban of one's account.

 

Thank you.

 

Soompi Forum Staff

[panappuru]

So happy that I started this drama when it's completed. Otherwise I'd go crazy and probably drop it while it aired. I definitely enjoyed it a lot more because I was able to binge it.

 

That bittersweet ending made sense, but I'm telling myself they'll reunite in 3 years time. 3 years is not that long compared to what they've been through... maybe? At least the older that I get, the quicker the years fly by. XD

 

8 hours ago, riverie said:

Also it's interesting, how right after coming back from meeting hwan, ye ji tells her mom, now I am never gonna meet that person again. As if she is giving answer to her own self. 

Ye Ji may keep telling herself that like she did for the ENTIRE drama LOL, but eventually Hwan will come back!?? Maybe 3 years apart will finally give her the perspective to trust Hwan and not give a hoot about what other people think. Her mother has already given her support, and Hwan's family could change (the parents seem like they are in the process anyway). 

 

I checked this out because I love Im Soohyang and watched her in Graceful Family too, but the best part for me was Ji Soo's acting. I haven't really seen him in anything besides Page Turner and some clips of his other dramas. I was impressed! 

 

Edit: Also wanted to add that besides the endless plot disappointments, I also thought quite a few of the characters were underutilized. 

On 10/16/2020 at 9:09 AM, africandramalover said:

I guess I am in the minority here...... I absolutely LOVED this drama, scandalous or not!! My ideal ending would have been a time jump of like three years after which they get together, but I can live with the ending we were given. I think that despite the crazy premise of brothers with one woman, the writer argued the case well for her characters. Jin did not just become selfish overnight so that we can hate him and accept that Hwan and Ye Ji should be together... there was a clear progression and descent we can trace through his actions. Hwan was loving and devoted and despite the "scandalous-ness" of the relationship, I wanted them together. And Ye Ji was "pitiful" enough and had a realistic bond enough for me to want her and Hwan to get together. 

 

Writernim didn't rely on ludicrousness to carry the story. The dialogues the characters had were convincing enough to explain their feelings, especially in the last two episodes. I did not feel like I was being force fed with justifications for the OTP to be together. 

I also enjoyed it! I felt like binging the show allowed me to see what the writer was getting at. If I had watched it while it aired, I would've felt like the progression of the story dragged and made no sense, but watching all the eps in basically one go actually made the episode to episode transition and story line pretty smooth.

 

I was convinced that Jin could've made all those mistakes because he was recovering from hell. I appreciated the commentary on caregiving and pain. But while I felt sorry for him, his actions were ultimately inexcusable and made me want Ye Ji to dump his butt and get with Hwan. XD 

 

On 10/16/2020 at 8:45 AM, riverie said:

What I couldn't accept is that she didn't go to the US with hwan. Even her mom says do what makes you happy and she decided to overlook her feelings. This part I felt like this was coming more from the writer's point of view as if she could not accept that. Imo, a woman from today will probably take that opportunity. If my mom says that to me, lol I would not care much about society. But that's just me.  But in any case, it felt like the writer already had the ending in her mind, so she deliberately chose that ending. 

Same! While I didn't think that both going to the US would actually happen (and in the end neither of them did!? Once again Hwan sacrificed his own freedom for his family...) but oh how I wish they did. 

[forumsoomp]

anybody knows the title of the melody which sounds very touching & moved when listening. It was played many times during romantic scenes, the 1st hearing was Jin swimming in the sea with YeJi. Then again in the last episode Hwan with YeJi.  Can recall it's a very old piece of Western music, probably in the early 1950.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c_tiMcbFdg

 

[vajandi]

 

Franz Schubert: Serenade

Spoiler

 

 

[riverie]

On 10/17/2020 at 7:14 PM, chickfactor said:

 

 

That's exactly how I interpreted it, too.

 

They've confirmed their feelings. He'll be gone for three years. That's a long time, but they've already waited a whole lot longer. I think if they both feel the same after the three years (and it's been pretty well established, underlined, and emphasized that they will) they'll reunite.

Hey I didn't read this part carefully before, would you mind explaining this part again? 
 

 

On 10/20/2020 at 1:38 PM, forumsoomp said:

anybody knows the title of the melody which sounds very touching & moved when listening. It was played many times during romantic scenes, the 1st hearing was Jin swimming in the sea with YeJi. Then again in the last episode Hwan with YeJi.  Can recall it's a very old piece of Western music, probably in the early 1950.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c_tiMcbFdg

 

Ah it's funny you mention that, I was looking for it too. Anyway, I made an audio version of the piece that you shared, PM me if you want a copy

[chickfactor]

3 hours ago, riverie said:

Hey I didn't read this part carefully before, would you mind explaining this part again? 

 

 

It's just my conclusion, based on everything I saw.

 

I said I felt that this show felt "precisely engineered."

 

1. I found the emotional abuse and manipulations of both Aunt and Jin awful to the point of absurdity. So basically, Ye-Ji has been abused and manipulated for the past 17-18 years of her life, and she's only been free from it for a year (at the end of the show).
2. And then we discover that Hwan has been mistreated by his family, too, and he comes to a belated realization of that fact. At the end of the show, he is truly free of his family for the first time.
3. Ye-Ji's mother gives this relationship a thumbs-up.
4. We know JinHwan's father well enough to know that he won't do anything to stop them.
5. The only people who would object are Jin and their mother, who are both completely self-obsessed a-holes so no one cares if this makes them upset.

 

So to me, it seems like there's a bright red arrow that's been drawn clearly pointing to: these two people will end up together. Every possible element is pointing to that. This is what I mean when I say "precisely engineered." I think the writer feels defensive because she knows that this is a controversial story, so the decks were stacked.

 

I have no objection to that. It's the story that the writer wanted to tell, and obviously, I sank deep into that. Like it or hate it, this show occupied my brain space.

 

There are other factors that are also clearly pointing to --> these two will end up together. The fact that Hwan has connections abroad (work/school) makes it possible and likely that they'll live abroad. The fact that Hwan's family has a certain amount of wealth also makes it possible that there are less constraints. All these factors were put there for a reason.

 

They'll have three years apart from each other and away from the Yangpyeong house to think it over. But seeing how their love fires are still burning after all that time, and all that they've each been through, I can't imagine this fire dying for either of them.

 

The writer could have told us clearly that these two people will treasure what they had... and then move on from each other. But she chose not to. So I can only draw one conclusion from that.

[forumsoomp]

4 hours ago, riverie said:

Hey I didn't read this part carefully before, would you mind explaining this part again? 
 

 

Ah it's funny you mention that, I was looking for it too. Anyway, I made an audio version of the piece that you shared, PM me if you want a copy

Many thanks riverie. Finally found the title after searching in other forums, it's called "Schubert Serenade", best played in piano.

2 hours ago, chickfactor said:

 

 

It's just my conclusion, based on everything I saw.

 

I said I felt that this show felt "precisely engineered."

 

1.  

Absolutely concur with your conclusion.  The open ending is up to the audience to imagine. The last few days of spending with each other, sleeping in same room but only able to reach each other's hands speaks volume that their love is everlasting regardless. Give them few more years of absence makes the heart grow fonder, they will meet & be together again.  Think the writer does not wish to commit the ending to hurt some ppl feelings thinking that it is wrong but end of the day, love attracts more than anything in the world so why hold them back esp when YeJi's mother supports their love, it's all about happiness nor bogged down by what others will think or say & it's not a crime to be in love. 

[forumsoomp]

Ji Soo Talks About Working With Im Soo Hyang In “When I Was The Most Beautiful,” Future Goals, And More

TV/FILM

Oct 22, 2020

by C. Lee

 

Ji Soo sat down to discuss his role in MBC’s “When I Was the Most Beautiful,” working with his co-stars, and more in a recent interview!

“When I Was the Most Beautiful” tells the story of a woman named Oh Ye Ji (Im Soo Hyang) who is caught in a love triangle with two brothers, Seo Jin and Seo Hwan (Ha Seok Jin and Ji Soo).

Ji Soo shared his thoughts on how he had interpreted the drama, which ended recently. “They say the drama is about the love between a sister-in-law and an unmarried brother, but I personally don’t view it that way,” he began. “I think the perspective that the woman I love has become my sister-in-law is very important. That’s why the first four episodes of the drama build the story of how Seo Hwan had no choice but to fall in love with Oh Ye Ji.”

He mentioned that the parts of the drama that took place on Jeju Island were originally supposed to be filmed in the United States. “It was difficult to film overseas due to COVID-19, so we changed it to fit with the times,” he explained.

Ji Soo went on to talk about the relationship between Seo Hwan and Oh Ye Ji. “Originally, there was a scene where they kissed sitting in Central Park,” he shared. “However, as we changed the script, Seo Hwan’s love for Oh Ye Ji became more detailed and platonic.”

 

On working with his co-stars, Ji Soo said, “The chemistry with Im Soo Hyang, Ha Seok Jin, and Hwang Seung Eon was great. Im Soo Hyang and Ha Seok Jin are experts, and they were great at acting. Thanks to them, I had no trouble getting into character and feeling the emotions.”

He continued, “I learned a lot from watching them in the drama. In real life, I tried to mess around, and they took care of me really well since I’m the youngest.” Ji Soo added that the four actors had met up recently.

 

Ji Soo then admitted that filming the drama wasn’t always easy. “The mood couldn’t always be bright on set,” he said. “In the first four episodes, going on set felt therapeutic for me. As I got to see the green trees, I felt like I was becoming pure, and the air was nice too. But as we went on, I started getting exhausted.”

He explained, “The further I got into the drama, the more scenes I had where I needed stronger emotions. The staff members started getting tired too. But once we stopped filming, the actors tried to let go and mess around comfortably, and that’s how we depended on each other.”

As for his future goals, Ji Soo mentioned that he wants to try out musicals and variety shows where he can travel overseas. If he could choose other cast members to join him, he said he would choose his closest friend Nam Joo Hyuk. He then shared his hopes as an actor. “I want to try a character who’s a genius,” he said. “Those kinds of characters are appealing to me.”

He continued, “I’m not a genius myself, so I want to at least become one onscreen. If possible, I’d like to try new projects before I’m no longer in my 20s. It’s a very basic thing, but I want to have about three projects that people will remember for a long time. That could take me 10 years to achieve.”

Ji Soo concluded, “I hope I can become a good actor. It’s pretty cliché, but I think that’s a goal all actors can identify with.”

[forumsoomp]

16 hours ago, riverie said:

Hey I didn't read this part carefully before, would you mind explaining this part again? 
 

 

Ah it's funny you mention that, I was looking for it too. Anyway, I made an audio version of the piece that you shared, PM me if you want a copy