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King of Dramas: Episode 9

by HeadsNo2

We’ve got everything we need to get this show-within-a-show on the road, except for that all-encompassing mother of all obstacles: Money. The new Big Bad isn’t messing around, and he’s just one of many (many!) standing in Anthony’s way. Poor guy can’t catch a break. Will this production ever see the light of day?

 
EPISODE 9: “Battle of Red Cliffs”

It’s the same song and dance with Kenji pulling out funding for Kyungsung Morning, and he’s able to do so because shooting was set to begin today – so since it isn’t, Anthony is in breach of contract, even though he had a verbal agreement with Kenji’s father over the production delays.

On that note, Kenji tersely reminds him that he’s the chairman now, and with big boy pants come big boy rules. They all leave, but not without Empire’s Chairman getting in a jab to Anthony that he’s won this round.

After a short lecture backstage, Director Goo escorts Hyun-min and Min-ah into the press conference, to the relief of everyone involved with the production.

Meanwhile, Go-eun asks Anthony about what just happened, since she saw the exchange. He storms off without a word.

During the conference, Hyun-min acts outwardly gracious toward Min-ah, despite the two sharing barbs beneath their camera-friendly smiles. Go-eun fidgets the entire time next to Anthony’s empty chair.

We find him at Kenji’s house, asking for the real reason behind the fund withdrawal. Kenji claims it’s because he has no interest in the drama, and wants the initial investment (a little over $3.1 million dollars) returned.

Anthony doesn’t flinch in assuring that he will return it, but he wants to hear what his father has to say first. Kenji gives him the go-ahead since Watanabe is spending his final days in Korea.

Unfortunately, Watanabe dies in the hospital moments before Anthony arrives. His wife, Akiko, hands Anthony a note from the Chairman expressing acknowledgment of his wrongs in life along with his regret at being unable to see the drama he so wanted.

As Watanabe’s body is wheeled away, Anthony thinks to himself: “Even if the Chairman wasn’t able to keep his promise, I will keep mine. Even in hell, you will get to see Kyungsung Morning.”

CEO Oh updates Empire’s Chairman on Watanabe’s death, which means that Anthony’s investment is now gone. The Chairman isn’t happy enough with this, and proposes that they block Anthony from getting any new investors.

Which is why it throws me for a complete loop when CEO Oh asks, “Is it really worth it to go to that length because of Anthony?” What? Who are you, and what did you do with CEO Oh?

Regardless, the Chairman insists that he won’t be happy until Anthony is dead.

The World Team frets over how they’ll miraculously get the investment money they’ll need to film, but Anthony isn’t concerned as he acts the part of a proper general rallying the troops: “That’s right. We need a miracle. However, a miracle is not something you wait for, but something you make.”

Go-eun smiles, so proud of him. Aww. He displays nothing but confidence in handling the problem, and boosts team morale as he lays out his plan – they’ll use the remaining investment money they have for a successful first shooting, and in the meantime, they’ll work on getting loans while putting their drama as collateral.

“Rather than waiting for a slow death next to an oasis which is drying up, we should run to the end of the horizon with all the strength we have left,” he tells them. Onward, to a production montage! (Because everything’s better in a montage.)

Meanwhile, Anthony works on getting loans, but every financial firm rejects them. They’ve been blackballed by the Chairman, and I’m sure Anthony realizes as much.

The lack of funding causes problems on the first day of shooting, since the whole team is out at the beach with no ship. Dong-seok explains it’s because the ship wants twice the price agreed upon in the contract, which is out of their budget. This reeks of the Chairman’s involvement.

Hyun-min waits for shooting to begin in his celebmobile, and it’s hilarious how he’s making his manager keep a scorecard of how many scenes Min-ah is in compared to him. (So far, she’s up by one. The horror.)

“Does this make sense?” Hyun-min whines. “She said she would write the script for me! Kang Hyun-min!”

Everyone, including Director Goo, finds out belatedly that their investment has been cut off. Min-ah does not look pleased, but Director Goo is confident that Anthony will find a way and calls it a day.

To no surprise, we find out that CEO Oh was behind Anthony’s lack of ship. Now even CEO Oh’s minion is all, Is it necessary to go this far? Did everyone take a conscience pill today? CEO Oh’s must have worn off already, since he claims he did it so that SBC would know that Anthony lost the investment.

The issue is discussed at the next meeting with Director Nam, who offers to pay the license fee for the first episode (roughly 300k) to Anthony in advance, but that’s all the help he can offer.

Min-ah calls Anthony to ask about the investment, though her tone is soft and concerned. She stops him from hanging up by calling him “Oppa,” and asks if he remembers what they talked about one Christmas.

Anthony doesn’t take the bait, and simply tells her to prepare for shooting. She reminisces about that Christmas, where she’d lied with her head on his lap, calling him oppa as she dreamed about one day becoming a top star.

“Once I become a famous top star,” she’d begun, “if I become someone who can help you, someone who’s strong and powerful… When that time comes, will you accept my help?”

Anthony had almost scoffed, claiming that such a day wouldn’t come. “There’s a lot you still don’t know about me,” he’d said as he stroked her cheek lovingly. “Like what kind of person I am.”

Back in the present, Min-ah fights back tears as she tells her manager to contact CEO Oh.

Meanwhile, the World Team tries to stop Anthony from going to a loan shark, knowing that the interest rates would ruin them. Interestingly, it’s revealed that getting in trouble with debtors is what caused Anthony to go bankrupt before and lose his house.

There’s no stopping him, and he ends up with the shady Chairman Jang, who swiftly refuses to give Anthony a loan of such magnitude. Anthony can’t offer up any collateral but himself, to which Chairman Jang sneers that he’s worthless.

Anthony begins to get dragged out by a minion, which is when he turns desperate, begging for the loan at the cost of his internal organs, his scalp, a lifetime of slavery. The thing is, he means it, and it’s frightening and sad to see Anthony go to such extremes.

Even when the minion lets go, Anthony crawls back to Chairman Jang on his hands and knees. You know it’s bad when your loan shark gives you advice – and this time, he tells Anthony that human ambition is crueler than money, and that he has to throw that away if he doesn’t want to ruin his life. Loan denied.

Anthony then turns to seediest of loan sharks, only to be denied time and time again. He eventually ends up crying just from the frustration.

All these money troubles spur him into a flashback of his childhood, where he’d been beaten by his teacher repeatedly for being unable to pay his school fees, only to go home to his blind mother and the barest of meals.

Crying, he asked her, “Why are we so poor?” He’d promised then that he would never live like his mother, that he would earn money like crazy.

Back in the present, the promise that he’s now breaking hits him hard, causing more tears to flow despite his best efforts to hold them back.

Go-eun spies him brooding on his rooftop from her own, and heads in like she’s about to visit him. Which is why it’s surprising when it’s the Chairman who walks through Anthony’s door to gloat.

Even Anthony is surprised that the Chairman would go so far to ruin him, even though the Chairman replies that it’s because he knows Anthony’s mettle more than anyone else. So I’m sure that’s why crushing Anthony is so important – he has to make sure Anthony can’t get back up again, even with his tenacity.

But, he at least reveals what he wants: Kyungsung Morning. In return, he’ll pay Anthony decently for it along with the investment money he now owes Watanabe. Eek. This could be bad – Anthony might want money more than he wants to produce that drama.

Go-eun overhears the exchange in what is swiftly becoming a trademark of hers, but he once again passes her wordlessly. She goes out in the rain to stop him, asking flat-out if he’s going to go to the Chairman.

Then, in a surprising move, she slowly lets go of his arm as she tells him: “Go. Go take that money.” She’s not pulling some reverse psychology trick, either – she can tell how much he wants/needs it, and is showing her support for whatever decision he chooses.

As an added bonus, she says she’ll quit Kyungsung and start over with him, adding cheerfully, “We’ve made it this far. We can try again. It should be all right if I write another great piece.” Aww, Go-eun. So sweet.

Anthony considers her for a long while before he murmurs, “I’m sorry.” Then he’s off to the Chairman’s house.

Only, he’s there to reject the Chairman’s offer, claiming that he would sooner die before handing Kyungsung over to him. He likens the Chairman to a warlord named Cao Cao from the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history, mentioning specifically his defeat in the Battle of Red Cliffs. (And there’s your episode title. Go figure!)

“You think you can win over me?” the Chairman challenges.

“Do you think I will lose?” Anthony fires back. Commence fist pumping.

After Anthony’s gone, we get a surprise reveal… of Director Nam with the Chairman? What what? Director Nam’s not a bad guy, is he? He can’t be!

Go-eun is still waiting outside for Anthony when he gets back, only to be chided for not taking care of her health: “Don’t you know that for a writer, good health is money and time is money?”

She keeps quiet, waiting for his answer. He meets her gaze and admits: “I decided to fight.” Like he’d told her on the rooftop. When she asks him if they have a chance to win, though, he can’t answer.

Meanwhile, Min-ah meets with CEO Oh to find out whether their hindrances have been his doing. He admits to knowing her feelings for Anthony, and claims that this time it was the Chairman’s doing, not his.

The next day, in the most adorable moment, the World Team hands over their salaries to Anthony to help with the production costs, with Go-eun contributing the most – including the initial money he gave her for the script and some of her personal savings.

To top it off, Director Goo gives his director’s fee back. “You can pay the interest with the next drama,” he tells Anthony, and everyone smiles. Awww. It’s like gooey and heartwarming and adorablesauce all in one.

Anthony takes a long look at his teammates, and though he doesn’t say it, you know he couldn’t be more proud. And he literally doesn’t say it, instead opting to go with: “Do you think I’ll be grateful with this? Please, just make sure you can look after your own selves first.” Ha.

The sweet music abruptly cuts off, and everyone’s eyes go wide as Anthony storms off. Go-eun: “Don’t worry about it. A person can’t change that easily, after all.”

But then Anthony escapes to his room, literally barely able to hold himself back from sobbing.

If they hadn’t undercut this moment with comedy, I’m pretty sure I’d be a crying mess, which was my first inclination. The love of his team affected him that much, and in order to fight the urge to cry he goes for his anti-depressants. Anthony, if there was ever a good reason to cry, this is it. Embrace it! Embrace the love!

Meanwhile, Go-eun asks Hyun-min if she can borrow some money. HA. I love their not-friendship. She explains that most of their initial investment went into paying his salary, so if he could lend about one million dollars…

“Stop!” Hyun-min says, before she can go further. He looks at her curiously and asks if she likes Anthony – after all, he’s the one without money, and she’s the one looking for it.

She’s flustered momentarily before she gives a practical reply: “My drama is about to be wrecked. Is that so strange?” She appeals to him as the lead of Kyungsung to take one for the team.

After some deliberating, Hyun-min decides to lend Anthony the money. His agency president calls Anthony with the news, but Hyun-min rethinks his decision and decides to keep the money after all. So, did Hyun-min wrestle with his better self and lose?

Anthony doesn’t hear the exchange, and simply reminds Hyun-min to get ready to dive in the ocean. Ha.

The next call he gets is from Min-ah, asking to meet at one of their old haunts. We find out that this is the place where Anthony broke up with her five years ago, but he’s not interested in memories – what does she want?

She hands over a bank note and her personal seal. “For interest, I would like to receive your heart.” Here we go again.

She adds that she hopes his dream will come true, of making a world class production company like 20th Century Fox. This spurs him into a flashback of showing a plot of land to the Chairman as he explained his plans for turning Empire into the new 20th Century Fox.

And that finally puts all the pieces together in terms of why the Chairman has been so ruthlessly pursuing him. He wants that land and that studio, the same dream Anthony first introduced to him.

With that in mind, Anthony takes Min-ah’s money and thanks her. Ha. Finally, someone in dramaland who actually accepts an envelope of money.

It just so happens that the Chairman and CEO Oh are overlooking that same piece of land with plans to build a studio and use that studio to film Kyungsung Morning.

Anthony makes it to the wealthy landowner first, and warns him against selling the plot to the Chairman even though he won’t be buying it. He claims instead that if he doesn’t sell the land, he’ll make billions more than what he’d be selling it for. He chases Anthony out.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director Kim urges a shifty-eyed Director Nam to switch production companies while they still can.

The wealthy landowner ends up calling Anthony, and says that he turned away the men who wanted to buy his land on Anthony’s advice. In return, Anthony wants half of the profit the landowner will make: “Invest that money in me. That is my condition.”

So the landowner decides to go with Anthony’s plan, which includes the refusal to sell the land to the Chairman, even in a private meeting. Anthony knows how the Chairman works and has predicted his every move and offer, and everything goes according to plan.

The goal is to get the Chairman to offer more and more for the land, because Anthony knows how much he wants it and how far he’ll go. By the end of the meeting, the Chairman offers the landowner five times the worth of the land just as Anthony predicted.

This is the offer the landowner takes, which means Anthony has made him a lot of money. Now, he’ll get his share to make up the investment cost for Kyungsung. Win-win.

Unfortunately, Anthony is waylaid on his way to get the investment money from the landowner by Kenji’s henchmen, who are prepared to take him by force.

He ends up making a break for it on foot, and leads them on a merry chase. He’s stopped by a gate he can’t climb over and is forced to leave the briefcase with the contract on the other side in order to escape, with the gangsters hot on his heels.

Go-eun returns to Hyun-min to ask for money, but he’s loathe to part with it unless Anthony proves that he can come up with some of the cash.

And our hero, meanwhile, continues to bravely run away. When Go-eun calls, he frantically tells her about the briefcase in the alley and how the contract inside is the only way they’ll get the investment. “If you can’t contact me afterward, it means something happened to me.”

She’s justifiably confused, but Anthony doesn’t get the time to answer since his hiding place is found. I love that Go-eun just drags Hyun-min along with her to find the case.

Anthony finds himself tied up in an abandoned warehouse, facing Kenji and his henchmen. Kenji wants his money, and advises Anthony to give Kyungsung over to Empire. I’m guessing they’ve agreed to pay him the investment funds if they get the show.

Despite his insistence that he’d have the money if he wasn’t tied up at the moment, Kenji gives him three options: Either pay him back, give Kyungsung Morning to Empire, or cut off his own hand.

 
COMMENTS

I’m having trouble understanding Kenji and his motivations, which would have made it really helpful if we’d seen exactly what went on between him and the Chairman before he rescinded Anthony’s investment funds. We were never really told what kind of dough Watanabe Group was pulling in, but we were led to believe it was a pretty hefty amount – so why would the heir of the company and freshly-minted CEO be wasting his time on what would amount to chump change to him in the scheme of things? I understand that every cent matters, but Kenji’s oddly invested in bringing Anthony down. Doesn’t he have a company to run? Or something?

It all depends on what his deal with Empire is, and more and more we’re seeing Empire as a pretty formidable force with seemingly endless funds. My question is, if they have enough money to be rubbing elbows with the heir of Watanabe, why are they specifically pursuing Kenji? What do they want? More money? To bring Anthony to his knees? If it’s the latter, it’s pretty impressive that Empire’s managed to get a wealthy CEO to act as their hired muscle.

Aside from that and the fact that Kyungsung Morning is close to becoming this show’s MacGuffin (they’re going to have a lot of praise to live up to if/when they start producing this thing), I loved the overload of heartwarming moments, especially Anthony’s. The pacing did seem to lag a bit compared to previous episodes, but it’s hard to complain when we were afforded such great insights into Anthony’s evolving character, as well as the evolution of his team. Hyun-min isn’t quite on the ball yet in terms of team spirit, but there’s no denying that everyone else adores Anthony, so much so that they were willing to give up their personal funds to help him. And what I love most about Anthony is that he fully understood that love, and was so overwhelmed by it that he could hardly hold himself back.

Juxtapose that with his tears of frustration from earlier in the episode, and it all comes full circle. There’s something so disconcerting about seeing Anthony resort to begging or crying – he’s such a proud man, but he doesn’t let that pride get in the way of what he wants. This production has become his life, so that’s the essence of what he’s fighting for. So many times the kneeling trope is used in dramas to considerably waning effect, but to have Alpha Male Anthony crawl and kneel to a loan shark? It was uncomfortable to watch, but it only proved how invested I am in his journey when I want to sucker punch the people responsible for putting him down.

It’s those peeks into his vulnerable side that endear him to me and instill such protective feelings, even though I keep telling myself he’s a grown man (and a capable one, at that). The hero with a tough outer shell and a heart of gold certainly isn’t the newest character type we’ve ever seen, but rarely have I seen it played to such wonderful effect. Anthony isn’t your typical man-child incapable of love, nor is he a complete and utter tool. He has a dream and a team of people willing to dream it with him, and I just love that. But maybe if we could actually see some of Kyungsung Morning, this supposed Holy Grail of dramas, I’d love it more. Or maybe I just need to come to terms with the fact that their drama-within-a-drama is not a means, but an end. If that’s what they’re going for, anyway.

RELATED POSTS

Tags: Choi Siwon, featured, Jung Ryeo-won, Kim Myung-min, King of Dramas

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This show is so good :)
Can't wait for ep 11.....
Thanks for the recap :D

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Thank you so much for the recap! Off to read now, I might be back later to comment. I am still enjoying the show immensely.

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So good baby
So lookin' forward to the next eps.
Can't wait!

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This episode was PRECIOUS.
Just absolute GOLD.
I laughed so hard when Kim Myung Min started to hiccup wildly into that sob. God. Just when you question whether this show is losing it's comedic edge, it just BITES you with hilarity.
I love how this show isn't losing character. I just appreciate that so much.

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YES thank you <3

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thanks so much! loving this show so much :D

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Thank you for this wonderful recap!

The show is just getting better and better, isn't it?

If you want to share your thoughts about the drama or drop a message to cast&crew, please drop a message at:
http://forum.myungmininternational.com/viewtopic.php?f=300&t=4947

We at Kim Myung Min's official international fan club will ensure you message arrives at its destination. :)
Mo membership required.

Thank you!

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Thank you for the link! Let's spread the word and give the cast & crew the love that they deserve!

I will kiss all of them! Director, screenwriter, lights, sounds, DOP and everyoneeee of them!

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Thank you Bee, for doing this and for reminding us of this. I really and truly appreciate it. Every so often, please remind people in the recaps and on Open Threads (on Fridays) because people tend to forget :-). Thank you again!!!!!

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Awesome! It's so great to be able to give feedback/show appreciation, without running into the usual registration or language difficulties. Thank you!

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I was all Awww at the scene where Anthony's staff was donating their savings to him, it was a nice heartwarming moment, followed by a urgh would it kill you to show some gratification and then 10 seconds later I was hahahahaha, a true LOL moment mixed in with a ha.look Dorothy, the Tin Man has a heart. :D

Out of all the characters that are in KoD right now, Anthony and Go-eun continues to receives an unproportionately large majority of my love. The reason being that they are the only two I currently find nicely layered. I'm also finding their chemistry very strong and the sloooow romance buildup is done quite nice. As for the others, there are plenty of interesting and semi-interesting secondary characters, but none of them seems to really stand out for me, including the second leads. I think we just need more time to flesh them out though. Still plenty of time, so I will keep the faith.

I feel like this latest round of funding issues for Kyungsung Morning is a little bit of a forced conflict by Writer-nim. I may not know much about Civil Law, but I would think there are procedures we are ignoring concerning contracts and legalities. I also don't fully buy that the banks would be so submissive to Chairman McEvil, it's not like a bank is a small tiny enterprise. Banks probably have more money and power than the broadcaster company and lets not forget banks are businesses to make money, and on paper, Kyungsung Morning looks to be a profitable investments for them, those money leeches would gladly jump at the opportunity to invest. Also, it's about friggin time KoD started telling us the motivational factor from one of the Big Bad, I was starting to think they were being the Big Bad because KoD Writer-nim just needed them to be the villains, phew, glad that there was a method to his madness. Chairman McEvil is still batshit crazy but at least we now know there is a reason why he is twirling his mustache. So, as long as it makes sense narrative-wise, twirl away crazy old fogey.

Regardless, I'll overlook any negative technicalities, if it means we are getting progressing character developments, good (and logical) plot twists, funny and heartwarming moments like we got during this episode. Oh, and whether KoD stays at 16 episodes or extended to 20, Fighting KoD :-)

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Trust me, these people own banks. They run countries in the shadows. We're talking conglomerates here, big businesses. If anyone has power greater than the government, it's them. Especially in a country with so much corruption. So, it doesn't surprise me one bit.

And yes, I'm also digging this new villain.

I do agree some secondary characters are not that well developed, but I also think it's sometimes best to focus on those with the most potential. We often see actors/actresses portrayed in drama, but we don't see the ones behind the camera that much. I think it's interesting to explore this from the point of view of those who really make/break any series. As important as actors and actresses are, they're not that involved to make for convincing and compelling characters for what happens backstage.

I'm personally fine with more of a duo dynamic than an ensemble one, as long as it's done well. So far, it is. Considering the treatment secondary characters get in other dramas, I'd say this even manages to do better there. We do get glimpses. The ex-mole got his own time, the awesome PD Nam, even Go Eun's mom (LOVE her). Plus, we have way more nice/friendly characters than baddies, so it never feels too overbearing, no matter how bad the baddies go.

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Many side characters may not be as layered as Anthony and Go-Eun, but I love almost all of them. You already brought up The Awesome Mom and Director Nam who doesn't get that much of screen time but boy do I like that chap. He's morally upright but not frustratingly so being at the same time man of reason and a realist.

I've grown to like Min-Ah, too, and so I don't care about these "clingy ex" references as I feel that there's much more there than we see right now. She seems to really know and understand Anthony but problem is that it's the Anthony who existed several years ago. It's like she has some pieces of the whole picture but thinks that she has it all. Also there's the team with PD Joo, the ex-mole and two guys whose names I don't remember but the other one is running around with Anthony trying to get an investment. For some reason that only made me like him more. And director Nam's secretary, he's funny, I like that guy with his round glasses and mouse-like poses. :D

Villains in this show are also into my liking. Oh Ji-Wan did a great transformation from this twitching secretary into ruthless foe of Anthony's and now the Chairman has jumped in, too. He's so smug and collected all the time that I would just like to punch him in the face to get some reaction out of him. He's SO sure of himself. But we know he cannot win so I cannot wait to see his reaction when Anthony beats him to the curb. That will be delicious.

Oh and I must not forget Bit Na! She has had very little screen time but she herself and her relationship with Hyun Min are great comedic relief.

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Korea is notorious for bribes. Every day (literally) what we hear on the news here is about a very prominent person being accused of either bribing someone or receiving a bribe. And some of course bribe their way out being accused or revelead for a bribe. So, out of plotting in KOD this one is least suspicious. Trust me on this one ;-)

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Would it be fun if they take Kyungsung Morning script and make an actual drama out of it? I don't mean the drama inside the drama thing, but a real drama. ...O_o

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See: Gaksital.

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a) Gaksital and
b) Besides the actual premise, there really isn't a script made for it. But if you mean a noir drama about the occupation period, then yes, I'd love to see a new genre in Korean dramas. Although anything not melo/action/rom-com/sageuk seems to be out of reach mostly.

If I ever see sci-fi, noir, proper thriller (without ending up simply melo) kdrama, I'll be so happy.

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P.S: Although attempts have been and are made. Mostly by cable.

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hmm, how about Capital Scandal starring Han Ji-min and Kang Ji-hwan. It's been quite a while since I watched it so my memory is a little fuzzy. I do remember it was set in the 1930's when Korea was under the rule of Japan, and it was the heroine that was the freedom fighter. I think Kang Ji-hwan's character joined the cause just to impress her (correct if I'm wrong)

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Yes, that's also one, but it wasn't noir. It had romance and some melo elements too. Very good series. Veeery good. I think the period is interesting for many types of works and characters, so I hope it's explored more. Just maybe not always in such a melo and mainstream manner. Heck, a real noir set in the period would be awesome. Although perhaps it would have to be a mini-series.

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noir? I think some have been done, like someone said above, by cable.

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Yes, me too! Kyungsung Morning always reminded me of Capital Scandal and not Gaksital. Haha! But as Orion said, it's not noir. :-)

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Yes. I thought of Capital Scandal too. ^^

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Part of the scripts are actually written since they show them in the show. I actually screen capped a few for reference and also because I'm crazy enough to want to make my own script for the fun of it in Korean script format.

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Really? Sounds like a cool idea. Hey, why don't you write a nice noir then? If it inspires you, go for it! ;)

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Dramas might have limited themes but it's a totally different story when it comes to their movies, the variety of the genres is amazing

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So far, still liking this drama. Although I still feel Min Ah is the weakest link. Hope they focus less on her trying to win him back. Becoz it is so NOT interesting. I rather see Hyun Min's growth as an actor? that is if the drama actually moves towards production smoothly. =D

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I don't like Mina either, I find her one dementienal even though she's a supposed to be professtional, but in terms of character traits she's a typical second female drama lead

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i laughed so hard with the scene where all the team members give the money to Anthony and he cuts the sweet lovely music with his reply... and later, he's at his room holding back the tears and popping pills.
This drama can be sort of predictable because it shows every single problem a drama production could experience (SPOILER alert!!! ep 10: plagiarism) but it's interesting to watch how these troubles help the team to work together and become closer.
I love Anthony and i want him to keep fighting and win against all odds; Go Eun is awesome for trying to work things out; and Min Hyun is such a comic relief after so much tension with the other plots. Hope that the Chairman and Mr. Oh get tired and leave them alone, but i guess that's not happen any time soon.
Thanks for the recap :)

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Thanks for your recap and thoughts!

"If they hadn’t undercut this moment with comedy, I’m pretty sure I’d be a crying mess"

It was too late for me, the moment he covered his mouth once inside, I started bawling!!

I did LOL at the Trash Can of Fire in the Abandoned Warehouse for Used for Kidnapping.
The purpose of this fire is to heat?
Why isn't there smoke?
I would love to see a gangster or two toasting marchmellows over one of those.

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The scene with the pills was such a highlight. It's rare to find such non-conventionally adorable moments in kdrama. This is how you do a "rich jerk" character the right way. It's not unconvincing as it usually is, showing us people who would simply not be able to run companies and business relationships with that mind and character. Anthony makes sense. He is both brilliant and flawed, in a way where both are possible and logical.

Also, yay to Mr. Loan Shark from 'Giant'. I've only seen this actor twice and he's playing the same kind of "nice" loan shark sitting on the floor, in his fancy room in both occasions. It was quite a nice treat.

I'm also glad with the new baddie and their motivations. While Oh is quite the cun... erm, jerk himself, he wasn't bad enough. A villain with an inferiority complex is hard to fully hate because they just seem pathetic. Money though? Business? Power? Complete control? Those are things that make a villain a villain. And good acting, of course. Again, one of the reasons why 'Giant' was so hair-rippingly awesome. I'm glad to see more such shows coming out. With proper villains, not pissed exes and hysteric matriarchs.

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I seriously agree with you. This is how you do the rich jerk character (who is not actually rich). Kim Myung Min sticks to his character and is subtle in his character's growth. Nothing obvious, nothing overacted. Just a good balance of comedy and sense.

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Being a fan of Oh Ji-Eun I was finally glad to see her make an appearance. I actually thought that she was going to be main female lead and when she didn’t show up till the first 3 episodes I gave up on that notion finally. I figured that she was going to be the 2nd female lead with the typical tendencies and the show didn’t disappoint me in that aspect.

She was (just as I guessed) going to portray a diva actress who thought that she was the best and have a thing for the main male lead and will try to win him over. (Lets be honest who was surprised when she said that she was going to make the male lead fall for her)

Some one said that she was good in I live in (someplace can’t remember tat) Well I wanted to watch that show as well but only found that in Raw Format without any English Subs so if anyone can direct me to a site with English Subs I will be greatly obliged.

As for her character demanding more screen time I don’t feel that she was completely wrong. It was like Halle Berry saying that if she didn’t get more screen time in X-MEN 3 she wouldn’t take part in it. People thought that she was just demanding more because she was now an Academy Award winner but her character (storm) does have an important role in the comics at times (Storm did lead the X-MEN at one point) but I seem to be getting of point. What I mean to say is that it is natural for a actor or actress to demand more if they can handle the pressure. I know what I am talking about. I get stage fright so even if I get a small role I am terrified that I am going to mess up so I tried to never volunteer for a part fearing that I might mess up somehow. But I had friends that were good and felt that their parts were not enough.(They could handle the pressure just fine so they could take a bit more) Therefore if she was a top star she didn’t get that title for nothing and thus entitled to ask for some more. Plus she never demanded how to make that happen just to do that maybe she may have gone a bit overboard but it seemed like she knew what she was doing out of experience.

The matter about the son cancelling the contract. Sure that was wrong but you have to see it from his point of view as well. His dad had invested a lot of money but so far he got nothing in return. Sure Empire may have convinced him to do so but look at what happened. The main leads of the show didn’t show up (granted it was 10mins later) Even I might have doubts over here. I would be saying to myself why didn’t they show up. Am I being conned over here by saying that I have leads when in reality I have nothing. Is this guy therefore trying to fraud me or even if there is such a problem Anthony should have managed to solve the problem in such a way that he didn’t have any problems so to speak. (Ie better control over his people) this way it seems that is not really in charge. ie a poor leader. In such cases I am sure there are clauses in contracts that permit the main side to step away from the other part thus not being forced to pay the penalty because the other party is at fault.

It is even possible that SMA is taking part in this drama to take revenge on Anthony I may be wrong and hope that is the case.

As for Bit Na I am actually even surprised that she was even in a K-POP girl group. With that voice of hers how was she even selected in the first place. It is true that the only K-POP groups that I have actually seen are only in shows like Dream High (Season1 and 2) and there was one more (can’t remember the name) so I don’t have that much experience on this matter so Imay be wrong over here.

So let me make a short guess of what is going to happen.
The drama is going to face a lot of hurdles but in the end it is going to be produced and it is going to be a resounding hit. Bringing back Anthony into power and Go Eun fame. They are going to do future dramas together as well. All those people taht were against are going to be taught a lesson, some are going to be remorseful, some will be sent to the dog house etc….

About the matter of Empire being against Anthony. I thought that at first it might be a matter of principle that they fired him but that seems to not be the case anymore. I think that they just wanted him to leave and were just looking for a good opportunity to do so. Sure the guy was good at his job but he was also like a loaded gun and no one knew when he was going to explode and take them with himself. (remember Pride comes before a fall and the higher the one is the greater the fall is going to be.) So since he was so good he must have demanded more money (every right to do so) but Empire may have felt that was robbing them, then after that Anthony may have been good but no one was really willing to work with him (due to his my way or the Highway philosophy.) so that would be costing Empire a fortune to get people to work with him etc… (for that they would not be completely wrong as well) So if I was a boss even I would not like to have a person as Anthony in my employee someone so rigid and not that much of a team player. But I can’t downright fire him if he has done nothing wrong (otherwise I would be taken to court etc…) So finding even a small infraction would work ie the case of the man dieing in an accident due to your …. well you get the point. (this is the only bit I would agree with Empire but not their methods) So empire is just as bad as thugs to me.

I clearly have more to say but I would rather listen or read your thoughts and love to hear what you think of my points as well.

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What bugs me about Song Min Ah is the way tre writer shows her to us: first we see her demanding things with the attitude "I always get what I want, because I am me" and "I want more time on screen because I am the star", which is unprofessional in my eyes, and only later can we realise she knows the tools of her trade pretty well. So why wouldn't she say her true intentions and constructive criticism before belittling the writer and making a nasty b**** of herself? I do think it is a writing flaw. I would be fine if the criticism came in in a harsh way, divas aren't divas for nothing and recently I've come to terms with the fact, but I was really displeased with standard second-lead package on the get-go. Was it just to let the viewers know who is who?

You mentioned girls bands and criteria to get into one. From my brief observations of k-pop (If I am wrong, correct me!) the first thing to become an idol are long legs, the second thing is cute face, and for singing there is something as "lead vocalist" and this is the member who actually can sing. So Bit-Na does fit into a girl band. She's pretty. No one really cares for the singing, the songs are all the same anyway.

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Okay, I think people who deserved to be called b*****s should be those who actually cause terrible harm to others, not for being diva-like.

Aside from that, I think from Min Ah's point of view, she's entering a production that has a rookie writer in it. Even Anthony in the beginning did not think much Go Eun nor did all those other drama people so their knee-jerk reaction is always, "Ugh, where did she come from?" Of course, that's very mean of everyone and does not justify their behavior but they all do it so I didn't see it as a big problem from Min Ah. Min Ah, however, does not continue to belittle but the more sides she saw of Go Eun, the more she was intrigued and revealed her own knowledge of what works and what doesn't with the script. As I continue to see her, she's very professional and she doesn't seem the type to be b****y in a petty manner.

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I agree. I don't see anything bad about her. Sad, yes, but not bad. Remember, she's had to fight tooth and nail to get where she is. In a very tough, competitive and male-dominated society and industry. So far, she hasn't done something really bad. Perhaps a bit cruel and impolite, but not wicked. I hope it stays this way. She can be jealous and feel threatened by Go Eun, yes. It is only natural, when you still like a guy, but I hope she doesn't go cliché power-femaledog on us.

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All this.

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I don't have complaints with the character, I am uncomfortable/disappointed by the way its acted. I don't really like the actress. I think she doesn't really understand her role??

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I don't think it was about the money when Empire or the Chairman, to be precise, kicked Anthony out of the company. Yes, money does seem to be an important motivator for Chairman but there are very strong personal matters, too, from what I gather. For instance he does imply that Anthony is "the dog" he raised and who bit his hand which either means that he feels Anthony betrayed/walked over him OR that Anthony became too powerful for his liking. Many times powerful men cannot stand their subordinates becoming powerful and successful without owning everything to them. And the all the effort that Chairman is ready to put into his project to destroy Anthony does also speak for the other reasons than money being involved.

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I think the reason behind kicking Anthony out of Empire in the first place is the fact that Chairman felt threatened by him, he was too ambitious & talented to settle with the CEO position, so I guess Chairman decided to get rid of the monster he created & who turned out to be worse than he though, what was amazing about Anthony back then (& even now) is that he could make people work with him even though they hated him, he was that capable
as for after his fall, I think Chairman is afraid that if Anthony made it again he would start taking revenge of him, so it's actually a selfdefence strategy because he know Anthony would crash him once given the opportunity

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The funny thing about actors and actresses asking for expanded roles is that the writer might have worked on her novel for years...or in this case Writer Lee worked on her novel for three years before she submitted it and then now she's fiddling with it after another three years! It always seems very funny to me that an actor or actress can read a script for one reading then decide that their character should be changed and the writer (who has lived breathed slept the drama for years) give in to them.

I understand that writers live in their dramas and they need editors to help them step aside and see things more clearly. And I understand Writer Lee is a newbie -- but she's been an assistant to another acclaimed writer. So I'll assume that Diva is right sometime about changes she wants. But I'm not gonna assume that Diva is right all the time. We can't discount the element of pride and vanity. I've seen some movies utterly ruined because some actor or actress wanted their part to be better. (Edward Norton in American X being one.)

Diva is probably gonna try to fight for Anthony out of jealousy but then because she sees the great change Writer Lee is doing in Anthony's spirit, she will bow out gracefully.

I think the drama will be a critical hit but not a popular hit. It'll become a precious little perfect gem that only a few understand, see, and appreciate it but the Director will allow it because he's honorable.

I'd definitely like to see some of the drama within a drama, though. I'm not really attached to the script yet cause I don't know much about the plot of the script ...although, yeah, we do kinda know the heavy-handed theme.

Anthony trampled people on his way up. I have no doubt he did some unethical stuff but it's the people he screwed over that is making life so difficult for him.

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Dark Justice, I am also a fan of Oh Ji Eun. I watched 170 eps of ILICDD without e-subs. However, there are several blogs providing reviews and recaps of the first few eps of the series. At Hyunwoo Youtube fan channel, there are 170 eps showing clips from the series following the love triangle of Ji Eun-Hyunwoo-Sangyeob. Even without sub I could still follow the storyline, and it is a lovely one. Around after ep 100 or so there are limited translations provided by one kind soul. I also read e-sub from 1 to 11, but then the person stopped providing subs after 11. You can google these sites, if need more info, reply to this.

About Min Ah, hmm, not sure where the writer is taking her character, and I don't have a good feeling that they will be kind to her character. Right now her character is not yet defined if not outright inconsistent. I hope the writer is not making her character into a dark, cynical one with bouts of jealousy, whose presence is only to sweeten the two leads romance and nothing else. If that is the case then it would be a waste of OJE talent.

Your last paragraph analyzing Empire vs. Anthony is interesting.

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Thank you for your comments. I completely agree with you and yes I am interested in the info department. Thanks again. Am looking forward to hearing from you.

It is true that if the writers go with that path for Oh Ji-Eun it will be a waste of her talents. Unfortunately I believe that is the general path the 2nd female lead takes in most cases so sadly I have accepted that fact. Yes there have been a few exceptions (City Hunter) so I can only keep my fingers crossed and hope that this is the same case over here as well.

Thanks in advance. Hope to hear from you soon. Just respond to this post since my email add has been hacked so I wont be able to get your message if you sent one there. sorry bout that

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Dark Justice, there are a lot of info and places that I could provide but it just occurred to me that if I list them here it could look like I am spamming. So you can send me a private message at my Youtube account (ockai98). There are other places that you could send me pm, but let try that first. Let me know what you decide. Watching this series without background information means you're missing most of the storyline. And this is an excellent series with a great cast.

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I am sorry but I couldn't seem to find your account on Youtube. Perhaps because I have never made one myself I may be doing something wrong. For the moment just mail the links to a friend of mine. His account is [email protected] . For the message heading just post it under. Topic for Dark Justice relating Korean Dramas. I will inform him of this so not to worry. Looking forward to yiur mail and sorry for causing you any inconveniences.

thanks in advance. if this does not work you can pm me on my facebook account

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Thankyou everyone for your kind thoughts to my reply.
You all make a lot of sense now lets see how many of us are correct and those that are wrong

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Dark Justice,

Sent info, hope you get it soon.

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You have some good points about Kenji.

Can't wait for your review of the next episode!

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This show is awesome!

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And "awesome" is an understatement for this drama!

This show is awesome!!!

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ha! and the new bad guy's name just had to be Kenji?!!!

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The scene with Anthony hiding to cry was excellent. They even managed to do some hilarious self-referential PPL with a famous brand of sparkling water. Truman Show moment.

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I know!! That was excellent PPL. Loved it.

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Tell Anthony it's HIS fault why I'm more conscious of these PPL's!! Hahahaha! If the background music wasn't like that, I would have filled my face with tears! Seriously I cried (a bit) when I saw him holding back his tears awww. My Anthony!

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What's up with CEO Oh? Is he suddenly getting a heart?

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Yeah...I've been curious about him. In ep 10 when Mina why he hates Anthony so much. He didnt answer. I feel like there's something.

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He probably like Mina

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OMG LET THERE BE A LOVE ANGLE INCLUDING CEO OH!

Wait, who will be the love triangle of Lee Go-eun?? If Anthony is the first option, who's the other? LOL if none, it's perfectly fine. If there's someone, ahh, I'm curious really.

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Hyun Min.

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Oh, how I love this show. For the vulnerable Anthony (there, there, you can cry in my arms ;P), for the team spirit, for the growth of GoEun and lack of growth of HyunMin (although I would love to see him develop, too).

Random note: the land owner reminds me of Master Yoda. Those lips...

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Omg yes! My brother and I call him Yoda! Hahaha!

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The pacing of this episode was indeed slower but that does not put a single dent in my love for this drama.

I seriously teared up when Anthony was crying big time. This is one drama where you've got a grown up guy crying so deeply and not looking pathetic and even inducing me to tears. Usually, I kinda want to laugh a little, heh. But it just hit a raw spot and I liked it. Really shows how tremendously invested Anthony is in this drama production. And his childhood certainly played a big role in it. Those childhood flashbacks are simple but excellently portrayed. I just wanted to step through the screen and give my darling a hug. :P

And then that other crying scene with Anthony trying to hold back with drugs was just hilarious. I was all awww at first but then giggling away in glee. First time I enjoyed watching teary scenes.

I'm finding Go Eun and Anthony growing closer together....in silence. I liked that, a really nice change from two people who are so different from each other and not constantly bickering all the time. Go Eun is seeing sides of Anthony that others don't usually see and tries to help him too. It's really sweet.

And how awesome is that Anthony is so practical? I mean, this drama really makes a person so grateful for some of the things they show like Anthony getting right down to business with Min Ah with small choice words, not buying into her mellow, soft-spoken words. Girl, the guy is so over you or probably was never into you. Give it up.

Another thing I liked was Anthony finding a way to pay his debt and get investment money, by using his own enemy. Ha! Always love a smart protagonist.

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A smart protagonist is a sexy protagonist.
With ANTHONY KIM, it worked best though.

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The character development for Go-eun and Anthony is amazing. Go-eun learned how to be in the drama business because of Anthony (including the PR, cheats and manipulations but she doesn't apply em). Anthony learned how to soften, be real and interact.

Go-eun taught Anthony. Anthony taught Go-eun.
Best love story, ever.

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I could not stop laughing when Anthony has his break down after his staffers return the money. It is also interesting to see that he is slowly warming to his new little family that is more than willing to help make this drama a success.

I also cannot help but laugh everytime I see Hyun-min overreact to something. His facial expressions are hilarious.

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What a nice episode, full of a myriad of Anthony's faces. His smiling face is what I love the most and it's so new for me to like an actor this much. I'm starting to fall in love with KMM's character, and how he portrayed Anthony. he's just that good.

Hyun Min was hilarious! Of course nobody changes in a day, but you see that he meant it, only he changed his mind afterwards. He's a piece of work.

Anthony's team is just full of heart, passion, and respect for each other that they shine more. It's so hard not to like everyone, what with pledging their bank accounts and salary to raise funds. I remember the film 26 years and how, too, it was made possible by the support of the people who believe in it.

I love this drama, and I love HeadsNo2 for continuing to recap this. i was starting to think otherwise, only to be reminded that you just got to have faith. thanks HeadsNo2 for the recap! Read you on episode 10.

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I'm surprised Hyun Min didn't use the money as leverage to get out of the ocean dunk honestly.

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I love Anthony. He is basically still so emotional and damaged but even though his methods are not what I agree with, it is so endearing to see him give everything to that dream. It's really wonderful to watch him slowly realize that his methods are not always the best ways to go forth - through Go Eun he sees that there is something good in being honest.

I love that Go Eun is refusing to participate in his ways, but isn't sitting around lecturing him like he is a two year old all the time. And he is not always pulling the strings behind her and then going "surprise!" He treats her like an adult too. And she is learning from him that she should be stronger and not give in as soon as things get hard. He is there supporting her but letting her do her own thing. I love that even though he began by using her, he always was telling her that she needs to go and fight for her own dream as well.

I think this is missing in a lot of Kdrama couples. A spoiled child-chaebol heir and a little naive poor child-woman yelling at each other and then suddenly making out just doesn't do it for me anymore which is why I tend to not watch so many dramas anymore.

But this drama is so deliciously subtle in the relationship part. If you want episode by episode both Anthony and GoEun are slowly but surely growing closer. So much more realistic and therefore so much more moving. They both recognize the passion within each other and GoEun recognizes Anthony's inner strength and also his inner vulnerability which is why she stays on his side and Anthony recognizes her honesty (EP 10 SPOILER: how damn sweet was it when he said he doesn't believe anyone, but he trust her) and her goodness. They both have what each other needs and that's what really makes a couple. And as each episode goes by, his gaze for her softens and she becomes more playful and does skinship! It's so natural and so beautiful and is really, truly a pleasure for me to watch. I am dying because there is so much anticipation that has been lost in so many dramas and this just keeps building with small second-long moments that become sweeter and sweeter. They are the only ones that can reach into each other's hearts.

As for for SMA - she is more tolerable in that she actually has talent to back things up and you can see she's not evil, but she is still trying to buy his love and using machinations to be near Anthony rather than actually simply opening up. And Anthony recognizes that.

I think SMA would be so utterly cute with someone like Hyun Min. Wow. I am just so into that couple! It would be a humorous foil to Anthony and GoEun. Let's be honest, Bitna doesn't really have much going for her beyond being adorable. I think SMA keeps Hyun Min on his toes. And he wants to prove himself to her.

Anyway, for the non-romantic part of it. I'd like to see more of the production and less of the back and forth between Empire and World. I think there can still be drama that comes from elsewhere. I can only handle so many machinations from the same people before it gets old.

Some more focus on the family within the drama production would be nice - like the BBQ scene in 10 which was Ah!mazing!

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So true about the softening gaze and her playfulness with him, esp. in ep. 10. The 'flying scene' - melted me into a puddle.

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PURE. LOVE.

Anthony & Go-eun = MORE SCENES PLZ

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Anthony's and Go-Eun's love story is well on it's way into my book of the best love stories of all time. I love them.

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HOW TRUE IS THIS!

I'm a movie buff, been through many characters and many romantic angles (including second leads), but Anthony & Go-eun's make it to the top of my list.

No joke. :-)

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Me too! I love them so much! I love how they are so different yet they understand each other. I want them to hug, kiss, have babies, etc. They are awesome together and each brings what the other needs.

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I agree!! I think the part right before Anthony went to the Chairman, and both of them just stood in the rain, with the stark silence between then. And the part when he met her again after meeting the Chairman. That was my favourite scenes.

It was so powerful to demonstrate how both of them are torn with the decisions they have to make. I could actually feel their helplessness.

PERFECT OTP!!!

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So perfect!

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OF ALL TIME

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How long has it been since I've actually anticipated an OTP's scenes together?

Too darn long, I tell you. Anthony + Go Eun 5ever...

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is there anyone who knows name of the was played when all stuff propose money and anthony broken down the sweet music

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Thank you for the splendid recap and comments. It's been a while since I enjoyed a drama so much, and hope it continues.

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This is my drama babyyyy!
Woooohooo!

Thanks for the recap!
Loving this... My favorite romantic-comedy drama no doubt. :-)

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for most (if not all) korean dramas I watched, there's always gangsters involved. I wonder if gangster are that really common in s. korea.

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Then, in a surprising move, she slowly lets go of his arm as she tells him: “Go. Go take that money.”

--MY TEARS WERE FLOWING LIKE WATERFALLS WHEN SHE SAID THIS OMG THIS SCENE.

WOW. THIS DRAMA. WOW.

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I watched this because of Kim Myung-min. But I think this drama gave justice to the performance skills of all those who participated. Now I'm in-love with Jung Ryeo-won and Choi Siwon as well!

And Nam! And Goo! And Joo! And Jin-wan too! Ahhh!

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King of Dramas, thanks for making me cry like a baby in Episode 9 and Episode 10.

I'm so in-love with you.
You're the best drama ever.

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9 and 10 are my favorites so far. Thanks for the recap. :)

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The scence in which Kouen lets go off Anthony's hand telling him to go, with tears sparkling in her eyes... That floored me. There was so much flowing between the two - understanding, even love. Ryowon got that scene down to a T. Love her. And love Anthony.

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Omg, when Anthony was so desperate to get the loan, and he was begging, I felt like I was one with his character, if that made sense. I felt his his ambition and why he wanted it so bad. It was an amazing scene and I wanted to cry too.

And that scene where he couldn't hold back his tears was literally the best thing ever. I was so happy for him. Anthony Kim my be might favorite Kdrama character, evaaa.

I know it'selfish but I'd really like this drama to be extended. I love this cast so much, I don't want to see them go! Fingers crossed!

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I dont know why they didnt go for 20 episodes in the first place. There's lot of things to explore. 16 is too short.

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16 is too short. DEFINITELY.

When I heard it's gonna be 16 episodes, okay fine.

But when we reached Episode 7, I was like, "OKAY IT IS AN IMPOSSIBLE MISSION TO MAKE ALL OF THESE DEVELOPMENTS AND CONFLICTS IN ONLY 16 EPISODES!!!"

20 is perfect. :)

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I know right? How awesome is Anthony? He is totally my fave.

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Definitely. Evaaaaahh! Anthony is slowly making it to the top of my "Favorite Characters" list too. Though this show already made it to the top. :-)

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Dang. I haven't watched this episode due to upcoming finals week.
Just thought i'd drop by to see what's up&to say Thanks for recap Heads!
Noticed the pace is overall slowing down compared to first half, but hope KOD hangs in there until ep 20!

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I am becoming a huge Choi Siwon fan. He is just so, so funny. I virtually cannot get through a scene with him in it without giggling. It made my day when he decided he wasn't going to give out the money after all, and Anthony was like, "Focus on swimming in that water." HAHAHA. I'm getting the impression that Hyun-Min and Go-eun are becoming friends.

Also, the scene where Anthony takes his pills because he feels something like... *emotion* after his coworkers give him the money. First I thought I was going to cry, then I laughed. It's okay to cry, Anthony.

Last week, I wasn't sure how I felt about this drama -- it'd really started to stress me out -- but I feel like episodes 9 and 10 have brought it back to something good for me.

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I'm falling deep in love with this drama.The moment I cried when Anthony was sobbing just by reading the recaps are proof of that.Only Gaksital was able to do that to me and now this one which is actually a funny drama.

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Why is it when they have Japanese antagonists, they go with the name, Kenji? I know there are just 2 samples right now, but it kind of seem like a trend is starting. Or is it just because the drama was influenced by Gaksital.?

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Because it's easy to type in Korean over the longer Kotarou, and other Japanese names. Japanese runs by syllabary. Which means longer names. Average Korean name is 3 syllables. Add in a long Japanese surname and you have trouble.

켄지 v. 코타로오

Also easier to say in Korean than some Japanese which distinguishes between voiced and unvoiced consonants which Korean doesn't.

Also because "Kenji" has been a popular name in imported anime/manga to Korea.

I know... I'm being a language geek...

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Oh, I hadn't thought of that, Kim.

I also wanted to add that Kenji and even Shunji are like the Japanese equivalents of 'Bob' and 'Joe' and 'Steve' over there. Very common names. I had the opportunity to teach English for a year, and I had several students with those names, or something similar.

I can't remember Kang-to's Japanese name right off the top of my head at the moment, but I recall it being a really common name as well.

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I think it's a meta reference. A cheeky meta-reference, given Gaksital's popularity. I don't think it's a matter of being influenced, as much as a pop cultural allusion that the drama makers assume the drama loving viewers will get.

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Strongest Supporting role for me is Min-Ah. She's fabulously complex in ways that seem hamfisted at first, but the writing makes attempts to smooth it out. I tend to like characters that look like they contradict at first, but the smaller moments explain it for you.

She seems like she's a diva type, but it's also clear she can read people well and uses it. She beat out Hyeon-Min on purpose, which wasn't a diva move, but because she's been trying to survive and saw how petty he was. It's clear her ability to read people with her nunchi (intuition/perception) is pretty high. The diva side we first saw, was also part of her professionalism in an odd way. The way she arrived late was to put the dog in his place. Most of the second female leads don't have any kind of outside world perception of people at all, which makes this refreshing. Most second leads do navel gazing and grind on themselves, but I don't think she'll become that type.

And this episode we saw her vulnerable side. She was shown in love with Anthony, how much she wanted him PRESENT and he wasn't really there. A small, but important scene. We see how far she had to climb and what she had to do to get there.

As a counter point we also saw how Anthony said that Min-Ah didn't know the real him.... which Go Eun does. She's seen his super nasty side. That's a point towards romance, though a low key one.

I get that Hyeon-Min isn't supposed to be that complex to begin with, but he doesn't have much layering beyond loving money and attention. I get he's there for gags, but I'd like a little layering to him too. Why is he so wrapped up in money?

Min-Ah's motivations clearly run deeper, though we haven't seen all of it yet and I'm excited to see that unfold.

Kenji I don't quite understand. I can get that perhaps the funding part, but he's going against his old man. Did he hate his father THAT much that he's willing to shoot himself in the foot over a sure investment? I also wondered why Anthony didn't ask him to remake the deal. I need a deeper motivation.

I also like the director character, though he's short on lines and weight ATM.

Also loved the bit with the donation scheme, the rising music and the music getting cut off... laughed at that because that's classic Korean and Japanese tactic. And then how much it made Anthony weep was also great.

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I also find Mina as a complex character and I clearly see how professional she is and how much she loves Anthony. I honestly do not see her as much of a diva or clingy.

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To be honest, I don't see much love in Mina. I do like her character but I feel that it's not love for Anthony that drives her forward in her quest to snag him back. For me it looks more like she's trying to heal herself with Anthony. He once wounded her deeply by leaving her and wound is not closed yet - maybe she thought it was but seeing him brought everything back and so she might think that if she could make him love her again the pain would go away. In reality that wouldn't of course happen because EVEN if they would give a second try, it would be a very bumpy road for them building a relationship anew. This is one reason why I like her, because I don't think it's love but some other reasons and I sympathize much more with that than I would if she were just one clingy ex who's been in love with the man who ditched her all there years.

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My favourite scenes:

- Anthony begging the loan shark and being told he's not even worth 10 won. *heart breaks*
- Anthony receiving money from everyone and then killing the happy music with his curt reply *laugh my ass off*
- Anthony orchestrating that beautifully devious plan to get the Chairman to buy the land. *priceless*
- All scenes with Anthony and Go Eun. <3

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How can Anthony 'crying' after receiving money from everyone and then acting like he doesnt need their help, NOT one of your favourite scenes? HAHAH. I was laughing my ass off at that part.

The high and mighty Anthony had a crying relapse!!

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My hats off to Kim Myung Min for his acting in the scenes with the loan shark. It was gut wrenching. Totally took the wind out of my sail to watch that happen. And the look on his face as tears of frustration, powerlessness, and anger poured out of him outside the loan shark's.

From what I understand, there has been some talk amongst KMM devotees as to whether he'd be able to distinguish Anthony from Kang Mae from Beethoven Virus. Certainly the comparisons are there, but Anthony seems so much more damaged. So much more desperate and lacking a fundamental sense of self-worth, perhaps because Kang-Mae could always produce wonderful music. No one could take that away from him. Whereas Anthony... with money, prestige, power in the industry as measures of one's self-worth, it's easier to feel empty and worthless. So to see KMM show that desperation, for him to go all out there, I think it took courage for him as an actor. Most likely he welcomed the opportunity to set apart Anthony from Kang-Mae. It was a hard yet fascinating scene to watch. I'm trying to figure out a comparable metaphor for how it felt to watch that scene. Something like seeing Batman throw aside his dignity and grovel and whine like a traumatized puppy in front of the Joker? That's how it felt. Yeah, a tad bit traumatizing. As if the world would end tomorrow. (I'm also watching Immortal Yi Sun Sin at the same time, so that may account also for this feeling...) Bravo, Kim Myung Min-ssi.

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I think the episode title 'Battle of the Red Cliff' is an apt name as it referenced the battle Cao Cao lost at the red Cliff even though he had millions of soldiers, a lot of food and many weapons. It's appropriate as it shows that one can use the brain and ingenuity to outwit, outlast, and outbattle a superior opponent.

I love Anthony and Love Kim Myung Ming. I think I will rewatch IYSS.

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Awww...I'm jealous. I wish I could rewatch that drama but it's too long. Maybe just certain episodes.

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Well I usually skip the first 20 because the childhood portions don't add anything to the show and are boring. But my fave episodes are the battle ones.

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Am I the only one who want Hyun Min and Go Eun love line instead of the main OTP? hehehehe.... the two of them have such good chemistry

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I like him better with Mina. :)

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I totally want Hyun Min turning into a puppy before Go-Eun. Unrequited of course. That would be hilarious.

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Have you guys seen Episode 10? The episode was about plagiarism. And then suddenly, I'm reminded of the time I go on dramabeans and there were articles about how certain dramas were charged for plagiarism!

I SERIOUSLY LOVE KING OF DRAMAS! Something so fresh,

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This is my favorite show now and I wonder why the rating isn't high in Korea. I learn so much about the behind-the-scene production of K-dramas. Greattttttt. But I don't think the loveline should be the way ahead

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It's up against The Horse Healer. It's a sageuk, following the Daejang-geum formula. I haven't seen the ratings for School 2013, but that probably wins over a lot of ajummas who want something light and heartwarming.

It's too bad because King of Dramas is sageuk dressed in modern attire, with a lot of political machination by multiple parties.

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Has anyone else noticed: the fur collars are gone from eps 9 and 10? As if to tell us Anthony is slowly descending from his white tower and joining the ranks of humanity?

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That he no longer feels the need to overcompensate?

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or maybe it's just my wish coming true! I hated them, I like ascots better

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I'll be glad if the furs collars stay off for good! Anthony's tight 3-piece suits are hot. The fussy fur collars? Not so much. Especially that horrendous wad of fur at end of Ep. 8. Eeeks!!

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True words! Those suits on KMM are hot as Sahara desert in the summer! Yes, KMM is a magnificent actor and he's doing wonderful job portraying Anthony's reserved and ambitious yet vulnerable and wounded character but I still do occasionally just drool over his sexiness. Ahem.

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With the fur gone, I get to stare at his neck. It's a win for me.

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Thank you KING OF DRAMAS for making me feel "in-love"
It's been a long time since I've felt this way.
More accurately, this is the first time I felt this way.

thank you
this romance is everything to me now.

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When Anthony was crying out loud in front of a lowly loan shark, crushing every bit of his "I AM ANTHONY KIM" skyrocketing dignity, my heart was crushing twice as painful as his heart.

Is the Anthony character that desperate?
Or is Kim Myung-min's acting skill that immersed in each of his character?!

He embodies his characters that much! So much so that I think I feel more painful and crushed than the Anthony Kim himself. That scene was so powerful.

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Good episode. That ending has me on the edge of my seat. Poor Anthony. I want him to succeed!

Thanks for the recap, Heads!

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