While You Were Sleeping: Episodes 31-32 (Final)
by girlfriday
There’s heartache and anguish ahead for many of our characters in the final hour, but in keeping with this show’s feel-good, hopeful nature, we send them off with complete arcs and promises of the future. Dreams, past, and future come full circle, and it’s time to find out where the choices that they’ve made every step of the way will lead them.
EPISODE 31: “Goodbye My Friend”
Just before the hearing resumes, Chief Choi tells the prosecutors that they need to put Yoo-bum on the no-fly list, because he saw a suitcase in the backseat of Yoo-bum’s car this morning. He’s worried that Yoo-bum will flee the country after today’s hearing, so they rush to get that process started.
Woo-tak gets sworn in as a witness, and testifies that he came to the roof that night and found Yoo-bum carrying Hong-joo, and two open umbrellas on the ground. Jae-chan says that the witness will prove that the two umbrellas found on the first floor with Yoo-bum’s fingerprints are the same ones he saw that night, and asks Woo-tak to describe them.
But when Jae-chan asks what color they are, Woo-tak hesitates. His partner shakes his head and Hong-joo braces herself, knowing that Woo-tak won’t lie under oath. He balls up his fist and finally says, “I can’t distinguish between colors very well.”
He adds that it’s grounds for dismissal from the police force, and he says that he plans to resign as soon as he’s given his testimony. Jae-chan drops his papers in shock, and from the audience, Bong sunbae marvels at Woo-tak’s willingness to quit his job just to testify in this case.
Jae-chan is so shaken that it’s visible to Yoo-bum and his lawyer, who’ve already begun to gloat at this fortunate turn. The defense tries to dismiss Woo-tak’s testimony altogether, but Woo-tak argues that he only sees colors differently, and that his vision is better than most.
Woo-tak begins to describe the umbrellas in more detail—their handles, the shapes, the exact patterns—and then compares the green umbrella to Yoo-bum’s necktie, which is also green, and the red umbrella as being close to Jae-chan’s prosecutor robes, which is reddish. It’s accurate enough to make his testimony credible, and the defense starts to sweat.
Woo-tak smiles sadly to himself and then looks up at Jae-chan, who looks back at him with a devastated expression. From the audience, Hong-joo cries.
Jae-chan’s hand is still shaking badly as the hearing ends, and Woo-tak sends him a text using his words from the night before: “Let’s not be awkward. I’m okay, so let’s keep being friends.”
Yoo-bum’s defense attorney advises him to consider a plea bargain to reduce his sentence, and tells him curtly that another lawyer from their firm will be representing him for the rest of the trial. Yoo-bum calls after him and gets left all alone in the courtroom, right in front of the prosecutors.
Hong-joo runs through the courthouse looking for Woo-tak and finds him getting yelled at by his partner, who shouts that he should’ve kept his mouth shut and said that he didn’t remember anything.
He asks what Woo-tak’s strict parents will say when they find out that he threw away his police university education, but Woo-tak finally tells him the truth—that his parents divorced and each remarried long ago, and couldn’t care less about him.
Woo-tak’s lip begins to quiver and he barely holds back his tears as he touches his police badge and says, “It never felt like it was mine, so it always felt heavy and difficult.” But he adds that he wanted to carry the burden and was happy when working with his partner.
He says that that’s enough for him, and then puts on his hat to salute him one last time. His partner salutes back and hugs him tearfully, and down the hallway, Hong-joo watches with tears of her own.
Yoo-bum furiously washes his hands in the bathroom and tells himself that it’ll be okay, because it’s not over yet. As Chief Choi had predicted, Yoo-bum is carrying his passport and a plane ticket for that day.
Prosecutor Sohn frantically calls to put Yoo-bum on the no-fly list, and Hee-min submits the paperwork. Prosecutor Lee gets a text from his mystery girlfriend that it was approved, and Jae-chan and Chief Choi watch curiously as he kisses his phone and refers to her as “jagi.”
Chief Choi promises to attend the next hearing and warmly takes Jae-chan’s hands in his before he goes, and Jae-chan watches him walk away for a long beat.
Outside, Yoo-bum confronts Chief Choi angrily about his testimony, and argues that he wasn’t looking for an award for the IV serial killer case—he really believed that Dr. Myung was the killer and did everything he could to put him away. Chief Choi says he knows.
Yoo-bum asks why everyone is being so cruel to him, and Chief Choi just recites Yoo-bum’s birthdate. Yoo-bum says that even his parents don’t remember his birthday but Chief Choi always did, thinking it even crueler now to be betrayed by him.
But Chief Choi says he has the same birthday as his little brother, down to the day and year, which is why Yoo-bum was always special to him. He takes Yoo-bum by the shoulders and urges him to stop running away, and tells him that it’ll be no use to go to the airport because he’s already been flagged as a flight risk. Yoo-bum just shakes him off, furious.
Chief Choi looks heartbroken as Yoo-bum steps away from him, and then we cut to his perspective: It’s his little brother he’s looking at, and then he transforms into his younger self too, as he tearfully tells his brother not to run away and not to hurt other people. He begs for his brother to come with him.
Jae-chan can’t shake this uneasy feeling and dumps his case files and robes on top of Prosecutor Lee and goes running after Chief Choi. He sees Yoo-bum pushing him away and stalking off in anger, and Chief Choi’s slumped shoulders from behind.
In that moment, Chief Choi looks up at the sky and sees a single autumn leaf floating down at him, and he muses that it’s early for fall, and wonders where he’s seen this before.
The falling leaf takes us back to his hospital bed 13 years ago, when he’d dreamt of this moment. In the present, he picks up the leaf and narrates that it’s now, and he’d mistaken the time for autumn because of this leaf.
He looks up to see Jae-chan walking toward him in slow motion and thinks, “I thought I had more time…” Oh no.
Time seems to pause for a moment, and then suddenly everything happens in a split-second: Yoo-bum’s car comes careening around the corner, straight at Chief Choi. Jae-chan sees it happening and starts to run, but there isn’t enough time.
The car hits Chief Choi at full speed, and he goes flying over the top of the car. Jae-chan runs as fast as his legs will take him, and the autumn leaf floats up from the impact.
Chief Choi lands on the concrete with a frightening thud, and he calls out to Jae-chan weakly as blood pools around his head. NOoooooooooo!
When he opens his eyes again, Jae-chan is covered in blood and holding him in his arms. Yoo-bum gets pulled away from his car by security guards, and he looks back at Chief Choi with a distraught expression.
Chief Choi says that he saw this moment in a dream 13 years ago, and that in his dream, Jae-chan said something to him. Jae-chan says frantically that if he’s seeing this moment in his dream, then he needs to avoid meeting him again so that he can live.
He cries as he pleads with Chief Choi not to look for him and not to find him, but Chief Choi says that’s not it. He asks for Jae-chan to say the words, and Jae-chan breaks down in sobs.
At Chief Choi’s urging, Jae-chan finally starts to tell him that when they meet again, he won’t recognize Chief Choi and will be a bumbling jerk who always makes him work overtime and doesn’t listen to what he says. He says that Chief Choi will suffer a lot and he’ll ruin his new shoes, thinking of the night they spent digging through the landfill for the robot vacuum.
“But if you’re okay with all of that, then come find me. I’ll work hard and ask you questions and learn from you, and respect you very, very much,” he cries.
Chief Choi smiles and nods, saying that this is what he said in his dream, and that because of this, he quit his job on the police force and came to look for him. He says that he came to Jae-chan knowing that all of this would happen, and reaches up to touch Jae-chan’s cheek.
“It was my choice, so don’t feel guilty. Feel guilty for a short time, but remember for a long, long time,” he says, and Jae-chan wails, calling him Ajusshi.
“You remember, right?” Chief Choi asks, and Jae-chan nods his head at the familiar advice. “That’s our captain’s son,” Chief Choi says proudly, and then his body goes limp and he dies in Jae-chan’s arms.
In the past, Junior Cop woke up in his hospital bed after dreaming of this moment, and said that this wasn’t his end, because he had someone he needed to meet in the distant future.
Everyone from the prosecutor’s office gathers at Chief Choi’s funeral, and Hyang-mi is especially heartbroken and breaks down in tears. Hong-joo watches with concern as Jae-chan wearily walks into the hallway, and as she follows after him, we cut to Jae-chan doing the same to her 13 years ago.
Just as Little Jae-chan had followed Little Hong-joo to an empty room, Hong-joo follows Jae-chan and finds him crouched on the floor by himself, crying alone just as she had been.
She does exactly what he’d done for her back then: She sits down next to him without a word, puts an arm around him, and holds him as he sobs.
She cries with him, and we see that in the past, Little Jae-chan had cried with her just the same way.
EPISODE 32
Hong-joo wakes up in the morning looking peaceful, and her window is conspicuously void of any dream post-its.
A montage of morning news reports fills us in on Yoo-bum, who has confessed to all of his crimes and faces prosecution. And little by little, Hong-joo starts filling her window with post-its again.
At breakfast, Jae-chan’s hand is noticeably still shaking, and Woo-tak is missing from the table. Hong-joo says he hasn’t been answering her calls, and Mom wonders if she should send him food.
A close-up to one of Hong-joo’s post-its says, “Don’t be afraid, I’ll be by your side! Every day for the rest of our lives…”
As they head to work that morning, Hong-joo asks if Jae-chan’s hand is still shaking, and she says that hers did too in the past, and that it’ll take some time. She interlocks their fingers and says that she’ll stay by his side every day for the rest of their lives, and Jae-chan is taken aback.
He says that it probably should be him saying those things to her, but Hong-joo says that they’re his words—he says them to her at some point in the future, in maybe a year or so, though she’s not sure.
He realizes that she saw it in a dream, and she adds that Future Jae-chan had something to say to Present Jae-chan.
In the interrogation room, Yoo-bum is as arrogant as ever, even after having confessed to all his crimes. He tells the prosecutors that his today could be their tomorrow, and asks if they can say honestly that of the hundreds and thousands of cases they’ve signed off on to determine the course of other people’s lives, that they’ve never made a mistake in judgment.
Yoo-bum says that they’re just lucky not to have been caught for their mistakes, but he’s in this position because he just happened to be unlucky.
But Jae-chan counters that he’s not unlucky—he’s just bad. He calls Yoo-bum out on deciding that his suspect was guilty and falsifying the evidence to match, and says that every time he got angry with them, it was because he was really angry at himself.
Yoo-bum denies it vehemently, but Jae-chan gets under his skin, saying that he must’ve tried to wash himself clean and hide the truth, but he knew deep down. Jae-chan says he’s not here because he made one wrong call, but because he insisted that the wrong answer was the right one, and killed people to hide the truth.
“It’s not your luck that’s bad. It’s you that’s bad,” Jae-chan says. Yoo-bum’s eyes fill with tears, though he tries to cover up his reaction with a laugh.
In court, Jae-chan says that as prosecutors, they have a responsibility to those who have been wronged or lost their lives because of their actions, and looks out at Dae-gu in the audience. He asks for life imprisonment for Yoo-bum, and Prosecutor Lee notes the empty seat where Chief Choi would’ve sat, and murmurs that he should’ve been here to see this.
Jae-chan wakes up one morning spooked to hear Hong-joo’s voice in his bedroom, while he’s in bed with no clothes on. She somehow miraculously seems to either not notice or not look, and busily starts packing Jae-chan’s law books into a suitcase.
She says she’s going to take them to Woo-tak, because he’s going to law school. Aw, yay! Jae-chan says he never mentioned law school, but Hong-joo says she saw it in a dream, and since he has to be in school for the next few years without making any money, she wants to help reduce his book expenses.
She asks for another suitcase, and laughs when Jae-chan hops away in his blanket burrito.
Woo-tak reads comic books in his dark apartment, sporting a telltale beard of depression. (I kind of like scruffy Batman.) He’s surprised to see Hong-joo and Jae-chan on his intercom, and runs around trying to clean up the mess before letting them in.
Hong-joo lets in some sunlight and sighs that he’s a lot like Jae-chan when he’s not working, which he mistakes for a compliment. Jae-chan makes sure to tell him it’s not, heh.
Hong-joo says that in a year from now, Woo-tak will be in law school, and he’s shocked that he’d do that at this age. Jae-chan says he’s jealous that Woo-tak will be in school with all those younger women, which earns him a painful pinch from Hong-joo.
Woo-tak seems unsure of himself, but Jae-chan reminds him that he seemed to know the law better than he did when he was defending his friend Hak-young, and Woo-tak says proudly that he was at the top of his class in police university.
Hong-joo shows him the side dishes that her mom sent along as well, saying that Mom promised to keep him fed while he’s in law school. Awwww.
Jae-chan yells at him to clean his room and shave his beard if he’s grateful, and snaps that Robin’s probably starving. He hops over to Robin while cooing at him in baby talk, which is embarrassing for everyone but Jae-chan.
Woo-tak wonders how they brought over so much stuff without a car, and Hong-joo says they have a car now.
Cut to: Prosecutor Lee crammed on the crowded bus, telling his mystery girlfriend that he’s on his way to meet her.
As Hong-joo and Jae-chan head out to the car, Hong-joo’s second post-it is revealed, and it reads, “As expected, it was Woo-tak.”
Jae-chan is surprised when his hand has stopped shaking all of a sudden, and Hong-joo smiles and says it was Woo-tak as she’d expected.
Jae-chan wonders what she means, but she simply says she fixed his shaking hand just now, like she promised she would. Aw, was it his guilt towards Woo-tak that was weighing on him all this time?
In his bright, sunny apartment, Woo-tak sits down at his desk and cracks open his first law book with a big smile.
The third and final post-it on Hong-joo’s window reads, “Tell your hyung I’m thankful.”
Seung-won runs into the convenience store to tell Dae-gu the good news: Yoo-bum was sentenced to life in prison. Dae-gu collapses to the floor in tears and asks Seung-won to thank his hyung for him.
Seung-won answers a call from his girlfriend and whispers that he’ll call her back, and when Dae-gu asks who it was, Seung-won sheepishly tells him that So-yoon is his girlfriend.
Hilariously, Dae-gu doesn’t believe him, insisting that the couple picture on his phone must’ve been photoshopped. Lol.
One year later. Hong-joo’s window is clear of all post-its, and her hair is long again. As they set the breakfast table, Jae-chan asks Mom about how to divide a wedding gift if he’s coworkers with both bride and groom, and Hong-joo says he shouldn’t have to give a gift if he’s presiding over the wedding.
While he looks for something in a drawer, Jae-chan discovers Mom’s notebook, in which she’d tallied points for him and Woo-tak. Woo-tak is winning by far, HA.
Jae-chan holds it up and asks Mom what this is, and Mom gets flustered, insisting that she stopped tallying those points long ago. Jae-chan’s lip quivers and he chases after her in a boyish tantrum, demanding to know what the points mean.
Mom runs away to Woo-tak’s place, where she fills his fridge with more food and teaches him how to cook another dish, pleased with his progress in the kitchen.
She asks if he’s decided whether to be a lawyer, a prosecutor, or a judge, and Woo-tak thinks it over and says he’ll be a lawyer, because it suits his disposition to save people rather than judge them.
As Mom runs more errands throughout the neighborhood, Dae-gu pulls her out of the way of an oncoming scooter, and the various people Jae-chan and Hong-joo have helped continue to cross paths and help each other through small, kind acts that pay it forward.
Everyone gathers at the wedding that afternoon, and Dae-gu struggles with his tie and asks Seung-won why he’s even here. Seung-won says he has someone to show him, and on cue, Dae-gu drops his tie and So-yoon appears.
She recreates Hong-joo’s bend-and-snap with a hair-flip for extra sass, and Seung-won beams while Dae-gu’s jaw drops to the floor. She links her arm in Seung-won’s and asks if he missed her a lot, and he pouts pitifully that he did. They’re so cuuuuuute. Can they have another drama together, please?
Dae-gu can’t believe they’re really dating, and So-yoon flashes her phone at him to ask if their picture still looks photoshopped to him. Dae-gu stammers that it looks real now.
Jae-chan can’t believe So-yoon really flew all the way here at his request to play the piano for the wedding, while Hong-joo and So-yoon pick up right where they left off like a pair of bickering sisters.
Hong-joo asks about the state of her dorm bathrooms since she needs super-powered plumbing, and So-yoon snaps that it’s already been proven that that toilet-clogging poop wasn’t hers.
It devolves into a shouting match, and Jae-chan and Seung-won walk away from them, embarrassed.
Seung-won asks how the bride and groom got caught if they dated in secret, and Jae-chan says it was in the most ridiculous way.
Flashback to the interrogation room: Prosecutor Lee got fired up as he questioned a suspect, and paused to reapply lip balm before going in for the kill…
Except he’d accidentally put his girlfriend’s red lipstick on instead, frightening everybody who was watching.
It was the exact same color Prosecutor Sohn was wearing, and she’d gasped and pulled the lip balm out of her pocket, realizing that they must’ve been swapped. I was hoping it was her!
By the time she’d realized her slip, everyone was gaping at her.
The wedding begins and Prosecutor Sohn walks down the aisle with her son Brainy Smurf ahead of her as the flower boy, and Jae-chan and Hong-joo only learn then that he’s her son.
The crowd chants for a real kiss, so Prosecutor Lee obliges happily. Once it’s time for pictures, Hee-min prepares to receive the bouquet, but when Prosecutor Sohn throws it, it’s Jae-chan who catches it instead. People boo at him, so she tosses it again, and this time Hong-joo catches it, much to Hee-min’s ire.
The picture of them at that wedding sits on Hong-joo’s nightstand as she stirs awake from another dream, and Jae-chan wakes up next to her to ask if it was a nightmare. Their wedding photo hangs on the wall in their bedroom.
He tells her reassuringly that it’s all over, and not to be afraid because he’s by her side, “Every day, for the rest of our lives.” He remembers her saying this to him a year ago, and that he was pretty lost at the time because of how guilty he felt about Chief Choi and Woo-tak.
Hong-joo asks if he has anything he wants to say to himself at that time, and he says, “Yes, that it all passes. That even if it seems like something big now, when it passes it won’t be. That you might not believe it, but there will come a day when you can joke about it. So don’t worry too much. You’ll continue to face difficult choices and grow weary, but in a year, a morning like today will come, so trust in that and endure.”
Hong-joo finished telling Jae-chan this a year ago in the past, adding that he said there would come a day when he believed he’d made all the right choices. She asked if he felt any better after hearing that, and he’d smiled and kissed her in response.
That kiss brings us back to the present as they share more kisses in bed, and Hong-joo asks if he was right about not regretting any of his choices. He says yes and she asks which one he regrets the least, and he says, “The bus stop.”
Rewind to that first morning at the bus stop the day after Jae-chan had moved in across the street. He was about to get into a cab when he’d spotted Hong-joo sitting at the bus stop, wearing that familiar baseball cap she’d been wearing 13 years ago.
He told himself it was just a coincidence because that kid was a boy, but he decided to take the bus anyway, and sat down next to her.
The rest, as we know, is history.
COMMENTS
As a finale, it was a strong episode for the show, especially with Chief Choi’s death and the reveal that he’d seen his own death in his dreams all those years ago, and still chose to quit his job and go find Jae-chan. It was probably the most effective use of the dream visions on a character level in the show. Up until now, the dreams were mostly a means to change the future and save people, but for Chief Choi, this dream gave him purpose to keep on living at a time when he’d wanted to die, knowing that he could repay Jae-chan someday by being a mentor and staying by his side. I liked that this wasn’t about preventing his death, but about honoring how he’d chosen to live his life. It was a nice touch to use the dreams very differently in the final hour, as message portals from present to past so that people could stay connected or encourage each other, or themselves.
On the whole, the dreams left a lot to be desired as a fantasy element that was supposed to drive the story, because they ended up being very linear in scope and therefore predictable. They were just tools to let our characters be heroes and save each other, but as the show went on, they lost the feeling of grandeur that was promised in the opening episodes, and just became rather convenient devices. There was no consequence to messing with Fate so often, no price to pay for living when they should’ve died repeatedly, and no answers concerning how Hong-joo got the ability in the first place. And why did the dreams start tapering off? Were they driven by her guilt, which was starting to heal? Were the dreams just a very complicated way for the universe to bring them together? It’s my biggest disappointment with the show, which was otherwise very pleasant and emotionally satisfying. I just wanted a lot more from the fantasy—a hell of a lot more, with bigger twists and heavier consequences.
Because the fantasy element became an afterthought, the show mostly ended up being a legal procedural, and on the one hand, that ended up being fine in terms of execution, since the characters were good and kept me engaged in the cases week to week. On the other hand, the show was only about half as exciting as a result, compared to the start when it seemed like it would be about colliding fates and alternate timelines. That untapped potential makes me sad, because I can’t help but think of what could have been, especially because the drama was directed well, and the visuals really backed the dreamy fantasy feel.
This writer’s strength is in creating an ensemble of likable characters that makes the world feel full and lived in, and that’s probably the thing I liked most about While You Were Sleeping. It was nice to watch a drama where the leads were likable from the start and full of such funny, quirky flaws that were a constant source of humor. This writer has a particular gift for creating lovable heroines who are outspoken and sassy and a little weird, and Hong-joo was no exception. Suzy has her limitations as an actress, and they’re usually front and center in her other dramas; but when she works with this writer, it’s like her limitations magically blend into the background because the character plays up her charm. She should really consider gifting the writer a car. Or a small island.
This drama showed that you could have a cast full of nice characters and still have interesting conflicts, though I would argue that Yoo-bum’s characterization should have been more layered, as the only villain among a sea of goodhearted folk. I would’ve loved to see more backstory and complexity for his character, or even more affection between him and Jae-chan, to make their battles in court a little more nuanced or emotionally conflicted rather than so black and white.
To that end, I would’ve loved to see Jae-chan and Woo-tak at odds a little more. My favorite parts were always when Jae-chan was challenged by the people around him, like when Seung-won was embarrassed of him, or when Woo-tak was defending his friend against Jae-chan. I think because the romance was so un-dramatic—which I really liked, by the way—the most satisfying arc over the course of the series was Jae-chan’s character growth, because we actually saw him change and learn something in every episode based on the advice or intervention of someone in his life. Hong-joo and Woo-tak had their share of growth as well, though they were secondary; I was just grateful that Woo-tak made it to the end of the series alive, with a bright new future ahead of him, friends by his side, and a mom to fill his fridge. (And it cracks me up that Mom seems to like Woo-tak more than Jae-chan.)
And I like what this drama had to say about choice—that ultimately our lives are a series of choices that we make, whether or not we have the extra helping hand of knowing the future in dreams. The whole drama was really about the effect that people have on other people, and recognizing that no matter how small a decision seems to you, it could alter someone else’s life irrevocably. The dreams were just a metaphor for the way that one act could change the very course of someone’s future, whether you’re on trial for murder or just crossing the street one night. In an ideal world, we would all weigh our decisions with such care for how our actions affect other people. If only.
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Tags: Lee Jong-seok, Lee Sang-yub, Suzy, While You Were Sleeping
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1 PinkSushi
November 16, 2017 at 9:05 PM
And now... I'm left with an empty heart. Absolutely adored this show to pieces!
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PinkSushi
November 16, 2017 at 9:07 PM
and thank you, Girlfriday, for recapping! :)
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Møuñıą
November 16, 2017 at 9:34 PM
You are not alone 😭😭😭
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2 LadySandwich
November 16, 2017 at 9:18 PM
one thing i'm wondering about is the sequence before the wedding...the accident with the car bumper which is forgiven, then we see Cupid Barista smiling at the scene and then she saves the wedding bouquet, while So Yoon looks on...did I miss something? Is it implied that they're having dreams too?
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Møuñıą
November 16, 2017 at 9:33 PM
No.. They just continue their life happily
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javinne
November 17, 2017 at 1:36 AM
No... I understood it as Hong goon having now on just good dreams of things that happen to other people. But it was quite clever and beautiful from the writing to show how those being "saved" before, were now also "benefited" by new dreams.
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3 hallie is craving for watermelon sugar
November 16, 2017 at 9:19 PM
Shallow comments:
- Jung Jaechan, why do you only show off your bare chest, not your abs too? Are you not confident after seeing Wootak's abs?
- Han Wootak, you are still freaking handsome even in your messy and dirty state.
I really like the finale episode. It's the type of ending that can satisfy me. We can feel and believe that the characters continue their life journey after the drama end.
Girlfriday, thank you for recapping this awesome drama and make my drama watching experience more exiting. I always waited your recap eagerly.
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lezah
November 16, 2017 at 10:42 PM
Omg, scruffy, unshaved Woo-tak is adorable. I think we're blindly in love. 😍
I agree! The final episode left me satisfied, like a present tied neatly with a nice ribbon.
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4 Krampa
November 16, 2017 at 9:19 PM
Thank you for the recaps! But I'm empty inside a little lol I loved this show and let me just say how satisfying and cute the ending was for me! Every secondary character from the Cupid barista to So Hyun's glamorous cameo to the plot twist of which prosecutors got married to Woo Tak's hot stubble was so heartwarming and just pleasing. Everyone's story was tied up but also left to breath and give audience a little roomt o imagine. Also RIP Mr Choi, you will be missed dearly and the sceje where Jaechan cries holding him btole mg heart to pieces as well as the combined funeral scenes.
A clean and fresh ending to an at times intense yet feel good drama...also that frame of their wedding was so freaking picturesque and beautiful I can't omg!
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5 Lord Cobol (Kdramas, like water, flow downhill)
November 16, 2017 at 9:22 PM
Kim So-Hyun is a brilliant actress, but when it comes to returning small bits of fabric, Suzy is the master.
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TheOneAndOnly
November 17, 2017 at 9:51 AM
“Returning small bits of fabric”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
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6 angelajungxx
November 16, 2017 at 9:25 PM
Did anyone else think that when Hong Joo had long hair, her mum would die later on in the end of the episode?
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Møuñıą
November 16, 2017 at 9:30 PM
Me 🌚🔫
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miichan
November 16, 2017 at 10:12 PM
Me too..
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dieyb
November 19, 2017 at 6:07 PM
her mum supposed to die due to exhaustion - working too much to pay the court fee when Hon Joo was accused drive-and-hit Woo Tak.
but since that accident did not happened (Jae chan saved the day) the I guess the mum is saved! XD
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7 Møuñıą
November 16, 2017 at 9:29 PM
That was the best drama of 2017 for me.. I love the cast the characters.. the story.. And impressed with Suzy development.. Now how can I continue my life 😭😭😭😭😭😭
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8 Riman Rakshit
November 16, 2017 at 9:31 PM
I liked the show, but did not love it as much as the other two dramas. The writing is weak here, and repetitive, also too many borrowed stuff from his previous dramas. It didn't have the pull which PHR dramas had in the past.
Other than that, the cast did their best, LJS is absolutly adorable and his comedy, awkwardness was very relatable. Kim Won Hae sunbae is amazing, that sobbing scene broke my heart. Bromance was great, and the dragon trio rocked. :D
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9 sweetsour
November 16, 2017 at 9:37 PM
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JS
November 16, 2017 at 11:03 PM
How is W Two Worlds on your top of ranking.. *unbelievable and mind blown* the drama's writing is so bad and messed up. If it's me, it should be last. Yes its pretty much a LJS drama that is considered flop/ failed when he has always had a heart string of successful and good dramas. Park Hye Ryun drama definitely bring the best out of him.
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JS
November 16, 2017 at 11:05 PM
****STRING i mean not heart string excuse my fat fingers-,-
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Grapes
November 17, 2017 at 1:56 AM
In my opinion W is one of the best Korean fantasy thrillers despite the messy plot after episode 6, because of its original and unique plot, it's one of the dramas that I can't forget and I keep remembering the feeling when watching and analyzing every week, the writer has a good premise but she was lost and didn't know what to do later (maybe she dropped out or was forced to change the script, who knows what happened!) but that doesn't take away the credit of coming up with such an amazing and interesting plot.
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Rachel
November 17, 2017 at 2:54 AM
I agree. Though I do admit the first half of W was great, the second half just started on a downward spiral of not making sense. So I would not rank it first as well. IHYV is definitely my favourite.
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Sice
November 17, 2017 at 11:01 PM
W Two Worlds could have been the best of those listed dramas. It really had the potential to be the best one without argument, if the plot did not become a total mess halfway. Still remember how the early episodes always put me at the edge of my seat.
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samchunfan
November 17, 2017 at 10:07 AM
My rankings would be:
1. Pinocchio - best OTP and great dads/evil mom arcs
2. I Hear Your Voice - Best villain
3. W - most ambitious
4. WWYS - not as ambitious, easily watchable...too many uses of the dream plot machine.
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sweetsour
November 17, 2017 at 2:31 PM
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samchunfan
November 18, 2017 at 3:37 PM
Thanks for the well thought out analysis. I can agree with most of it, I enjoyed Inha’s mother’s character than bumjoo’s mom. They should’ve made the brother the main arc as many have said. PSH was easily her best performance. The dads are my favorite from kdramas.
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sweetsour
November 17, 2017 at 2:24 PM
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Rachel
November 18, 2017 at 1:03 PM
I agree, it was very different and a step forward from other kdramas I've watched. It had such a unique storyline that I was soo impressed with when it first started. That kiss was one of the best in dramaland.
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rlg07
November 18, 2017 at 7:41 PM
I agree with everything you said, sweetsour. Definitely the most innovative drama, and definitely the best OTP!
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funkyT
November 18, 2017 at 7:29 AM
i think lee jong suk has really upped his acting skills in this WYWS. omg the scene where he cried for deputy choi.... that was really genuine crying there. his voice cracked along with his sobbings... you cant fake that there..... woahh i think everyone should rewind and watch that scene again. as a whole, LJS has been constant and building on his act as JC here. for IHYV, he was also brilliant, but towards the end, i felt he wasn't able to deliver at certain scenes.... same feelings for W, maybe it was also the scripting that just kept evolving... till i couldnt see the difference between version 1 and version 2 of him after he jumped off the building.
anyway, im just really happy to see his growth in acting especially after seeing him at 3 meals a day, fishing village as a guest with his hyung lol LJS is pretty childish lols. somehow he just has this aura when he acts.
my ranking of LJS in terms of his acting performance:
1. While you were sleeping
2. I hear your voice
3. W two worlds
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rlg07
November 18, 2017 at 7:22 PM
I like this one okay, thought Jae Chan was endearing and funny, but I felt like the drama was a string of small stories loosely linked together on a string of dreams, and not one solid story throughout. The last scene with Mr. Choi made me cry big soppy tears, and I liked how there was an ending (I think a drama written by Song Jae Jung of W, with Park Hye Ryun to give it a solid ending, would blow everything out of the water). My LJS dramas ranked from the top are as such:
1. W. I don't know how many times I've watched it and discovered something new in the plot/theme/storyline. I love stories that make me both feel and think, and this did both in bucketloads. I cared a lot about every character, and I have to say, it had the best OTP EVER.
2. I Hear Your Voice. Every single character was pressed to their limit and grew. Very strong story from start to finish. The only drawback was the very large age gap; that takes some suspension of disbelief. (But LJS can always create chemistry, so...)
3. Pinocchio. Loved the way his two core values were pitted against each other--the desire to be absolutely truthful in reporting, clashing up against his desire to protect his brother. I felt like the tension dropped off a bit once the brother storyline was resolved, though.
4. School 2013. Well, his storyline was resolved about 3/4 of the way through, and I don't think he was meant to be the main character, scriptwise, but he just stole it. I don't thin I've ever worried so much about a fictional character. I just wanted to reach through the screen and grab a teacher by the collar and say, look at Go Nam Soon! He is bleeding to death emotionally right in front of you. DO SOMETHING.
5. While You Were Sleeping. I liked it. It had a lot of funny moments and some heart wrenching moments, and I think all the actors did a great job. But the problems all seemed to have easy fixes, and with 24 cameos...there were a lot of walk-on, walk-off characters whose stories likewise didn't carry through for the whole story. Still, that ending scene with Mr. Choi... *sniff*
6. Doctor Stranger. He had great acting. However...the plot was...well, I still don't know what the plot was. Park Hoon and Quack should have run off to Australia and left the plot. LJS's acting, though, was fantastic.
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10 LookieLooWho
November 16, 2017 at 9:37 PM
I held off on watching this drama until it ended. From the final recap, I'm not sure if I should pick it up. Thoughts?
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MMM
November 16, 2017 at 10:18 PM
Pick it up! It's fun, I'm telling you.
And you'll see lots of lovable and not annoying characters.
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Sim
November 16, 2017 at 10:31 PM
It's really good. You should try it, you might enjoy it.
All the cast is likeable, no annoying-airheaded character that usually make me frustrated like other dramas.
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LiLy K
November 16, 2017 at 10:41 PM
Don't play too much attention to the legal cases or logic - for that matter. I am not sure you have been reading the recaps, in that case, you probably knew too many spoilers already anyways...It will be fun just emotionally follow the characters. I enjoyed it personally. Hope that helps.
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11 mistyisles
November 16, 2017 at 9:38 PM
A beautiful ending to a beautiful show. For sure, I would have loved for it to have done more daring and interesting things with the dreams, but on the whole I'm very satisfied.
"The whole drama was really about the effect that people have on other people, and recognizing that no matter how small a decision seems to you, it could alter someone else’s life irrevocably. The dreams were just a metaphor for the way that one act could change the very course of someone’s future, whether you’re on trial for murder or just crossing the street one night."
Yes -- and I especially loved how that "pay it forward" scene highlighted this.
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12 gadis
November 16, 2017 at 9:45 PM
RIP Chief Choi, one of the best mentor in dramaland who was played perfectly by Kim Won-hae. Jae-chan's last words to him made me bawl for the first time while watching this drama.
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hallie is craving for watermelon sugar
November 16, 2017 at 11:16 PM
Wow, you seem emotionally tough. I almost cried every episode but maybe I'm just a crybaby. Hee
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happiness
November 16, 2017 at 11:16 PM
chief choi 😭😭
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Jo Chase
November 18, 2017 at 2:11 PM
I was really surprised I managed to like his character considering I had just finished watching Criminal Minds where he played a serial killer. Which is also the reason why Yoo beom as a villian just seemed like a spoilt kid to me.
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13 BerryRouge
November 16, 2017 at 9:47 PM
Although I wanted a lot more from this drama especially from the fantasy element, it was an overall great show. I also found my new favorite actor through this show: Jung Hae in! *dreamy eyes* Thank you WYWS team for your all your hard work.
And of course, thank you for the wonderful recaps, Girlfriday!!! <3
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14 Jolly
November 16, 2017 at 9:52 PM
This was a mixed bag. Overall, I'd this drama was a disappointment. Episodes 1-2 were good and started the show off with a bang, episodes 3-10 were a real bore, and episodes 11-16 pretty good. Although it can be said that's it better the drama managed to recover in the final stretch rather than fall of a cliff there.
I think this is the writer's weakest work out of the three I've seen (I Hear Your Voice, Pinocchio, and this). There's a clear decline in quality from I Hear Your Voice to this drama. Even Pinocchio ran into writing issues where it simply wasn't as interesting after the brother arc was done.
I feel like this writer needs to take more time to develop her stories. It seems to be a similar issue in all her works, although it wasn't that noticeable in I Hear Your Voice. But both While You Were Sleeping and Pinocchio really could've done with being a lot shorter, or having better plot development.
The lead performances were fine, although both could've done with more depth. They feel very shallow as characters. I also think the dream aspect wasn't nearly as interesting as the initial two episodes portrayed. It kind of seems like a useless add-on ultimately.
I'll still be checking out the writer's next work, but I will not allow myself to get too excited. Need to keep my expectations in check somewhat.
I don't think I wasted my time, but I also don't think this was necessarily a good use of 16 hours. It's really that middle stretch that was hugely disappointing. I feel if you could just excise episodes 3-10 and make this a more tightly written 8-10 episode drama, it'd have been a lot better.
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Sim
November 16, 2017 at 10:27 PM
8-10 episodes? For me the greatest problem here is "there isn't enough episodes" that the writer was forced to do past-pacing. The cases are easily resolved because I feel that they running out of time quota.
I think this kind of dramas should at least got 18 or 20 episodes to resolve issues and to give more explanation about their dreams. But all-in-all, I enjoyed it and I like this.
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Jolly
November 16, 2017 at 10:46 PM
The cases had barely anything of interest happening in them. Extending them isn't going to benefit them. It'd just make them even more boring.
The explanations about the dreams could've worked fine with the amount of time the writer had. Two hours per case isn't a small amount of time. It's a lot. She clearly didn't give the dream mechanic much thought however which is why the the dreams are basically tacked-on. That's the an ill-thought mechanic rather than it being an issue of time.
18-20 episodes would've made this drama terrible. It would've just dragged out an already boring plot.
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15 Briiaaann
November 16, 2017 at 10:14 PM
Things I Love:
-The families formed, Hong Joo's extended ones and the prosecutors.
-Smooth transitions, each scene is shot beautifully
-the Backstory of Hong Joo, Jae Chan and Chief Choi
-JC and HJ love, their quirky sides
-the cameos, Kim Soo Hyun and Lee Sung Kyung and Yoon Kyu Sang (though short, but still, it was so cute)
-the OST, Roy Kim's voice in any song is beautiful
-the happy ending, too sweet.
-JUNG JAE IN, batman and his robin.
things that I wish would be better:
-Plot holes
-the under utilized dream dynamics
-Woo Tak's backstory
-their Why do they dream in the first place?
Overall, I love this show. This is the one that took me out of my drama slump. I love how they transition and mold the past and the present. And the ending is too sweet, with all the past characters that they have helped through their dreams all came back to just catch a glimpse of their lives.
AND found a new oppa Jung Hae In indeed stole the show. (Park Bo gum should come back soon, or else.. lol)
Thanks for the recap @girlfriday !
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16 kontrarymary
November 16, 2017 at 10:25 PM
Thank you @girlfriday for recapping this! And for the lovely thoughts on one's choices in life. I particularly liked the part where all the characters who had benefitted from the good choices of Jaechan's work were in one scene. Lives of people intertwined, paying it forward :)
This was a satisfying series on the whole. Absolutely no regrets watching this!
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17 chasen8888
November 16, 2017 at 10:27 PM
Life goes on and a drama closes its curtains.
This show met my expectations, not exceed it. In that I enjoyed most of the episodes that I watched but if one was to ask me if I would keep this drama as my watch again list I would say "no". I enjoyed it for what it was a complete yet satisfying show but not that addictive enough for me to want to watch it repeatedly. All parties played their respective roles well and at the same time introduced someone few of us knew before/about i.e. Woo Tak, he became more after episode 3, I too like his scruffy look. Also he and his partner shed a positive light on the police profession by being good men, which for all purposes have a poor reputation. This last episode brought something forward as he was forced to face himself, his weaknesses and overcoming it. What happened next - he became a pseudo brother of JC/SW, HJ and adoptive son to HJ's mom. He will now start a new profession as a lawyer who supports people and not judge them. We are aware of his abilities so that is fine. If he starts dating someone, HJ/JC & mom are going to give said girl trouble, unless she comes in their dreams as someone suitable for WT its rejection for all comers.
For HJ/JC and Chief Choi it was about coming full circle after 13 years, Choi mentors JC into becoming a capable prosecutor and is just worried for HJ. It does not surprise me that Choi was closer to JC because it was his brother that had killed JC's father (someone he admired a lot) and yet it JC who was critical in saving him when he tried to kill himself, what HJ did was forgive him and told him that he can repay them by living. JC also showed a positive side to prosecutors - not all are corrupted there are those who are sincere and true to the profession.
YB had to face himself 2 times - one with Chief Choi who tried to advise him to stop, the other is JC who called him out for what he is - pathetic and just bad. I am surprised that it took very long to make a decision about his sentence which is fairly straightforward with all the testimonials and so called confession of his crimes. Said prosecutor stated it should be life sentence and yet it took over 3 months for the sentence to come to pass.
Then the show decides to go with a pass it forward theme at the end with all the people that HJ/JC helped doing good deeds for others, which kind of cute and lessons learned.
It did not surprise me much that they paired Sunbae Prosecutors Lee and Sohn as a couple. Lee for the most part seem to be comedic fodder, however when Sohn's son matters were revealed, he showed a different side of himself to us which had appeal in that he is a considerate and caring person. They also showed that he is a capable prosecutor with exception to the Chief Prosecutor, all the lawyers were able to display their abilities in court. Hee Min show that she was capable yet at the same time a bit on the shallow end in that she makes assumptions which is a no no...
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18 curly
November 16, 2017 at 10:33 PM
Thank you girlfriday for the recaps and comments. You have stated all the important points about this drama as a whole. I just regret that I binge watched this halfway thru the finale. But overall I was satisfied. Cried. Laughed. And realized some stuffs. Just wished that they reached the 10% rating mark but I guess Korean are busy having date outdoors during this season. 😊😂
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19 LiLy K
November 16, 2017 at 10:36 PM
Honestly, I enjoyed the show more than I thought I would. I mean the whole show was not perfect but perhaps the ending was. Seriously I had teary eyes 3 times in the last ep alone (WT's conversation with his partner, MrChoi's last words to JC and when HJ cried with JC at the funeral). Well, maybe four: the last screen where I get to see people from the previous cases live happily (except WT's friend? what happened to him). Perhaps it's very rare in Kdramaland that our female heroine wasn't that useless as usual. In fact, HJ is smart, sweet and sassy, which I love. Our male heroin is not flawlessly perfect from the start either, I enjoyed witnessing JC growing up to be a fine prosecutor. Oh! And WT! I just wanna say I love your dog and I love you.
Btw, I would support out Wootak (actor Jung Hae In) 's next work in Prison Playbook where he will also be a policeman.
Thank you girlfriday for your wonderful recaps and comments. I enjoy the show much more because of you.
Thank you everyone, I enjoyed reading your comments as well.
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hallie is craving for watermelon sugar
November 17, 2017 at 12:08 AM
"Perhaps it's very rare in Kdramaland that our female heroine wasn't that useless as usual."
This is what I like from Park hyeryun's dramas, the heroines are as capable as the hero, their strengths are balanced and more importantly they influence each other to be better.
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20 lezah
November 16, 2017 at 10:41 PM
YAY I was rooting for Prosecutors Lee and Son! I think they're adorable together and LOL when Jae-chan clapped for Hong-joo catching the bouqet and then realizing... oops. HAH! 😂 I also really like all the cameos from the people they helped! Especially So-yoon parodying Hong-joo's scarf/necktie flip. A pity Do Hak-young didn't appear as well.
On Chief Choi & Yoo-Bum: I am... a wreck. Call me a sucker for happy endings, but I wasn't really expecting Chief Choi to die. I guess for Yoo-bum, who had chosen Hong-joo to die rather than Chief Choi, a person he loved, the shock of being "betrayed" and knowing that he had no way out of the trial made him rashly kill Chief Choi. I feel like the show tried to redeem YB slightly because he mentioned that his own parents didn't even remember his birthday, whereas Chief Choi celebrated it with him.
But I think the point is that Woo-tak's parents didn't really care about him either, and look what a fine man he turned to be. Like what Jae-chan said, the problem is that YB didn't just make mistakes, he continued insisting that his mistakes were right. Everyone makes mistakes, but it is their reactions to them that matters. It was not making a mistake that led to the consequences, it was his decision to embark on the slippery slope.
I think it's even more heartbreaking that Chief Choi saw this moment happening in his dreams, but he didn't turn away from it. He wanted so desperately for YB, who he saw as a brother, to turn back and admit to his mistakes - which is exactly what he wanted to do for his brother but couldn't. Perhaps he also saw it as penance for his brother's crimes, but no matter what, I cried along with JC.
On Woo-tak: Awww Batman Police found another job that might suit him too! Scruffy Woo-tak looked so darned cute as well, and honestly he's been such an adorable beam of sunshine throughout the show that I couldn't be happier that he got a sort-of happy ending. He's sacrificed a lot - got stabbed, lost his job... Watching him and Mom making japchae felt a little like they were mother and son, and all these familial relationships make me feel so warm and fuzzy. Though, HAH, Mom scored him much higher than Jae-chan.
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lemoncello
November 17, 2017 at 12:58 AM
Mom just needs to adopt Woo-Tak... :).
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CoffeeMD
November 18, 2017 at 12:23 PM
Just goes to show, mom has better taste in men than her daughter. ;P JK I love JC w/ HJ together but I love WT overall character more.
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21 purplerain☔
November 16, 2017 at 10:56 PM
Goodbye show. you will be missed.
see you later woo-tak.
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22 Chicsassymom
November 16, 2017 at 11:05 PM
Aw. I will miss this drama so bad. The finale is so so so good. The cast, they gel so perfectly #Friendshipgoals. It's very well acted. It's endearing. I'm loving their Instagram posts too, drama scenes, bts, and just their normal everyday friendship soirees and outings. Woo Tak is a gem to watch...Jung Hae In, count me in to your growing fandom. And true, I'm loving Suzy here as always, it's like Dream High all over again. Lee Jong Suk. No words. As always, fangirl forever. OTP is love. I love how fluid their love story, interactions, even the kisses, all look and feel natural, real. Shin Jae Ha and Kim So Hyun, oh yes please, another serving of your happily ever after. I truly, madly, deeply adore the Persecutor Team too. So maybe, another round with Woo Tak and everyone else? Pretty, please. Mr. Choi, I will miss you too. Goodbye, my friend!
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Chicsassymom
November 16, 2017 at 11:08 PM
Oh my, I meant Prosecutor team. (I'm trying to edit or delete.)
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23 lalalili
November 16, 2017 at 11:09 PM
Instrumental OST playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBHxbfZf3ZWTAQkMk6889pMt0-oZ-K_RX
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24 cotcotte
November 16, 2017 at 11:15 PM
I had high expectations about " While you were sleeping" because I liked all the writer's previous works but, at the end, it's the one I liked the less. Here are the points which disappointed me :
1) I find that the dreams' explanations were lacking. If we follow Woo Tak theory's ( that the person saved dreams of his savior) Jae Chan's dreams of Hong Joo should have begun in his childhood, after she saved him from drowning, shouldn't they?
So why the dreams only started when he moved in next her house? It would have been acceptable if he recognised her as " Chesnut" right away ( since he took her for a boy the first time they met) but it's not the case.
It's a shame because making Jae Chan dreaming of Hong Joo before meeting her again is a small detail in the story but, whitout it, the dreams' explanation is not logical and less "believable".
Or I missed something and didn't understand! So if anyone understood better than me, feel free to explain it to me!^^
2) about the dreams again. Why Hong Joo stopped having dreams of random people? It could have been nice just to see her having a dream or two about a nobody because it really feels like they just changed the dreams'rules in the middle of the story.
3) what about Woo Tak and Yoo Beom's back stories? I was curious about Woo Tak background : why did he lie about being a child cherished by his parents? Why does he like Batman so much?...
The same goes for Yoo Beom. What makes him the man he is now? So manipulative, despicable, whitout any scrupules? Here he's just evil to be evil!
4) It just annoys me when dramas use the "trick" to cast two actors who doesn't look alike at all to play the same character ( the present one and his younger counterpart for example) just to let viewers in the dark. That's typically the case for the cop ajussi (Choi Dam Dong). The big revelation just stands because the actor playing investigator Choi Dam Dong is different from the one playing Choi Dam Dong, the cop. I always feel cheated when the plot is resumed to that. And it's even more illogical since they used the same actress to play Hong Joo's mother in the past and the present.
And, about that, would it have been so difficult to find younger actors that looked alike their older selves, at least a little? Young Jae Chan and young Yoo Beom have nothing in common with Lee Jong Suk and Lee Sang Yeob!!!
It's often the case in dramas with childhood parts and I find it always disturbing. The drama loses a little of its credibility when it's the case. At least, for me!
So, yes, better than an average drama but not so good as Pinocchio for example. Maybe my expectations were too high!
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Rachel
November 17, 2017 at 3:45 AM
Agree with most of your points and I had high expectations for this drama as well. Though Young Jae Chan does look like Lee Jong Suk (he's played young LJS once before!) but Young Yoo Beom looks nothing like Lee Sang Yeob.
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25 panshel
November 16, 2017 at 11:29 PM
The ending was perfect. People whom our Three Flying Dragons had saved paying it forward. I wish Baek Sung Hyun or the archer's mother had made a return appearance as well. So happy to see Kim So Hyun again! Hong Joo and So Yoon bickering like old times.
I cried my eyes out at Jae Chan sobbing at Chief Choi's funeral and Hong Joo comforting him just like Little Jae Chan had done 13 years ago. Those kids have truly come full circle. Eddy Kim's voice in When Night Falls is tear-inducing. Chief Choi dying in Jae Chan's arms was a powerful scene that will stay with me. Lee Jong Suk could barely eek out his lines. His acting needs no words.
Woo Tak's incredulous "At this age?" was priceless. Though I had fully expected him to become a prosecutor over a lawyer. I had grown to love Jae Chan's coworkers whom I started off hating, and I genuinely wanted Woo Tak to work with them. Woo Tak desperately needs a family, which the prosecutors are (a work family), and Hyang Mi would get to drool over Batman in a suit daily. Looks like Jae Chan really got attached to Robin after his time dog-sitting.
I had hopes Show would flashback to how Yoo Bum killed IV Killer during his trial, but unfortunately there wasn't one since he confessed to everything.
My favorite thing about While You Were Sleeping is how the drama balanced comedy with suspense so effortlessly. All the (good) characters were endearing and heartfelt. I adore Jae Chan and Seung Won's believable sibling relationship. And when will Jae Chan let Woo Tak speak to him in banmal!? I sincerely hope Jung Hae In blows up after this because he deserves nothing but success. Thank you as always for recapping, @girlfriday!
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latebloomer
November 17, 2017 at 4:46 AM
I really thought Woo Tak was going to take Chief Choi's place as an investigator. Wish that had happened.
I wish Chief Choi didn't have to die.
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panshel
November 17, 2017 at 7:49 AM
Perhaps working as an investigator while studying to be a prosecutor because I definitely think Woo Tak is smart enough to be level with Jae Chan rather than work under him. Just imagine Hyang Mi's excitement at sitting thisclose to her dream man.
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26 stellaness
November 16, 2017 at 11:33 PM
This finale had all that it needed for my hearts content. There were tears intermixed with laughter and sadness, happiness, and most importantly Yoobum went to jail. Everything worked out for everyone and oh man that lipstick scene was hella funny. I was really entertained by this drama and I feel that my Wednesdays and Thursdays will be a little void without this drama. I thought Suzy was so great in this drama which yes was a little surprising but good for her. She was paired perfectly with Lee Jongsuk.
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27 apple
November 16, 2017 at 11:35 PM
Every one knows the witness is colourblind except the prosecutor and the victim, after getting hit by a car at full force, is lucid enough to carry on a conversation that lasted way too long? Maybe while you were dreaming.
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28 alasecond
November 16, 2017 at 11:36 PM
last scene, JC adn suzy got married right?
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IressistableBaek
November 17, 2017 at 12:47 AM
Yes they did
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29 liar song #PuppyNotPuppyLeeJaeWookIsBack
November 16, 2017 at 11:43 PM
Thank you show, for making me looove all your characters! (except Yoo-bum and the other criminals in the show. I mean, who loves those jerks?) They are humans, yes, faulty at times but they are reaaally nice on a human level.
Thank you for making me love Suzy's performance in a drama again, for showing me I can adooore Lee Jong-suk more, for making me amaze with how great of an actor Lee Sang-yeob is, for making Kim Won-hae on top of My Favorite Ahjussis list, for the adorable cameos (Kim So-hyun!), and of course, thank you for blessing my screen with Jung Hae-in! (I first saw him on Bride of the Century and I've liked him since then!)
I honestly have no words to add other than my Wednesdays and Thursdays will be different without the Dreamers. (Here's hoping Nothing to Lose doesn't disappoint). I will sure miss you, show!
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30 pastmidnite
November 16, 2017 at 11:47 PM
HJ's mom is me! I'd give higher score to WT too 🤣🤣🤣 I mean I love JC, but WT is looveee ❤️❤️❤️
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growingbeautifully
November 17, 2017 at 1:21 AM
Hi pastmidnite!
Did you enjoy this show? I did most of the time, then took a break because of "Because This Is My First Life" but I've watched to this show to the end and find it a satisfying watch.
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31 tummy
November 16, 2017 at 11:49 PM
Final episode comments: Overall, reasonably satisfying ending, nice "get together" moments of all the people that they helped. They spent time on the prosecutor's wedding but skipped over HJ/JC wedding.. but OK.
1) Chief Choi's death. It seemed as a "tear jerking" contrivance rather than being more neatly integrated into the story. For example: Making Chief Choi die in the act of saving HJ or JC would have been a good way to close the arc of them saving his life 12 years ago. It could easily have been done at the arson scene.
2) YB's actions. Hit and run on Chief Choi? Another seemingly irrational act from a rather poorly developed antagonist. He seems to mostly act out of self interest/preservation and then he doesn't? There needed to be a bad guy and he needs to do bad guy things without any particular reason. OK, got it.
3) WT story arc. Tied up reasonably well. All the earlier mystery was about his night blindness but we're not really told WHY he felt this desperate need to be a policeman.
4) OTP. We get to see their "happily ever after" moment. There was no real tension in the romance. A cotton candy romance all the way.
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32 SpiciestRamen
November 17, 2017 at 12:32 AM
Slightly confused - did YB mean to kill Chief Choi on purpose or was it by accident?
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IressistableBaek
November 17, 2017 at 12:49 AM
He did it accidentaly on purpose
Ok
just kidding he did it on purpose
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Rachel
November 17, 2017 at 3:01 AM
Definitely on purpose, he drove ridiculously fast!
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33 tummy
November 17, 2017 at 12:35 AM
Closing notes on the series as a whole: Overall grade B (maybe B+) Solid acting, attractive cast, good production values, somewhat erratic pacing, easy to follow even if not very logical plot lines, linear and limited character development.
Agree with all of @girlfriday's comments.
1) As a legal procedural. I see this as a bit more "courtroom drama" in the style of Perry Mason rather than a legal procedural, if that distinction makes any sense. Like medical procedurals, the reality is nowhere close to k-drama portrayals - and that is necessary for entertainment.
In contrast, shows like FoS and RDTK hew a bit more closely to reality and are still great drama's. To be fair, tonally, this was probably too much for a lightweight drama like WYWS to emulate.
2) SWDBS school of drama making. My thoughts while watching WYWS were very similar to when I was watching SWDBS. Both got off to really good starts until around the end of the 3rd week. Then it seemed the female leads noticeably changed characteristics and the drama focused on the male leads and the main premise was sidelined.
In this case, once HJ resumed her reporter career, her quirkiness level dropped and she became the support role to JC's super-prosecutor and boyfriend role. Which is a pity because, as the "original dreamer", I was expecting the drama to make HJ do the heavy lifting.
In part this mirrors girlfriday's comments that the "dream foretelling" thing became a bit of a sideshow (as did the whole "strong woman" theme in SWDBS). Used as plot conveniences but never really the central theme nor explored and explained.
3) The "safe" route of drama making. Ultimately it does boil down to this. You could explore moral quandaries and repercussions of having "foreknowledge" of events. (a la Minority Report) It would have been riskier and certainly more challenging to write. Tonally, it would have been darker. But, if done well, it could be in a class of it's own.
Instead, the writer chose a safe route - let's do warm, cutesy, light romance, a little bit of dramatic tension, good guy catches bad guy, happily ever after. They did it well and stuck to tried and true formulas. But it's not a drama to repeat watch or discuss much.
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34 kimkim
November 17, 2017 at 12:43 AM
Woo-tak was the only good thing to come out of this drama
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35 Sunflower
November 17, 2017 at 12:46 AM
This was a good drama. Not the best drama but a good one. I loved the characters more than the storyline. I felt like suzy's acting was better here than in uncontrollably fond. Jae Chan made me laugh so much.
Woo tak was my favorite character. He was so selfless. My heart aches for him. But honestly even the actors could not save me from boredom I felt towards the middle of the show.
The storyline started to annoy me. It was too repetitive. I got so tired of Jae Chan consistently saving the day.
But I don't regret watching it. I just think the experience could have been more pleasant. Still, not bad.
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36 Itenoria
November 17, 2017 at 12:52 AM
Aaaaaaaand, what a brilliant and fulfilling end to an amazing drama. Full of heart and hope and poignancy and that hint of bittersweet sadness. I will still miss Chief Choi, but I really did love how they explained it away: that he knew he was going to die, and in this way he chose how he was going to die, and the fact that although one of his stand in younger brothers turned out rotten and unwilling to learn (I'm looking at you Yoo-bum), the other turned out to be good and filled with heart and kind and smart and loyal (my love Jae-chan).
Also, can I say I find it amazing and fitting that Yoo-bum got a longer sentence than the other 'murderers' he defended and yet hated. He was showed up for the scum he is, and had his blindfolds yanked off so he can really see just what kind of man he is, and I love it!
Yes and yes. The writer has never failed me and once again, this is one drama I shall watch several times over
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37 greenfields
November 17, 2017 at 1:23 AM
Thank you @girlfriday for your awesome recaps of this show. 😄
The neat little bow-tie of an ending fell a little flat for me, but other than this I have no complaints about the show. :) Unshaven Han Woo Tak has been the best thing on my screen this week (or well, second best if I'm honest - my heart goes to BTS this week (sorry, so random)) ^^
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38 TicTac
November 17, 2017 at 1:28 AM
Yikes. I’m probably in the minority of finding Woo Tak with stubbles unappealing.
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39 growingbeautifully
November 17, 2017 at 1:36 AM
Thanks GF!
I do agree with you. This was a good show but it could have been so much better. The fantasy element could have been played out to more effect, and some explanation of why Hong Joo had those dreams and why they tapered off would have raised the show in our estimation.
I have one question... I missed the reason why many episodes ago, Hong Joo deliberately left her power bank in Woo Tak's car and told him it was red when it wasn't. What had clued her in to his colour-blindness? And why was she testing him?
As for everything else... yes to how wonderfully likable the characters are, how sweet the relationships, how beautiful the cinematography and even the choice of music for the OSTs .... so "listenable".
I liked the dilemmas that Jae Chan faced, but felt that a little more tension would have been nice, and maybe other means to save the day, other than relying on the dreams. It occurred to me that if not every dream could be counted on to be accurate, that would really have given our characters more stress.
Oh, and I'm kind of pleased with myself that I guessed Prosecutors Sohn and Lee were an item. I started guessing at the time when Brainy Smurf was supposed to get the organ donation and Prosecutor Lee was almost as aghast as boy's mum. It was suspicious, in a good way.
So I'll look fondly on this show and may even re-watch parts of it. Thanks to all on the Production Team for working so hard and giving us something to remember fondly. 😆
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javinne
November 17, 2017 at 4:53 AM
I also feel like this show could have been way better. Is like... in the last episodes, although great things were supposed to happen, i couldn´t feel I care enough. Since Jae Chan was shoot, I knew he could not die, so... the same with them in the fire and Hong joo and the green umbrella... If I know they won´t die at all, why you, show, have to create tension in something which outcome is so predictable?
Also, I was so upset that Hong joo went alone to interview Lee Yoo-bum in the night, alone!!! hello!!!! You are a girl, you have always a nightmare that you will be killed in a rainy day, you know he is bad, and you go there by yourself?
Also the fire... She goes in the night to meet a dangerous situation by herself... Jae Chan also went by himself... and they are so unaware of any danger, they come inside the house without looking behind???????
It is so... crazy!!!
It made me feel so bad for the show itself, because it could have been better. But anyways... At least our batman cop didn´t die.
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growingbeautifully
November 17, 2017 at 5:24 AM
That's true... too much of the improbable risk-taking begins to grate on my patience too. I've always found the repeated motif of running off to dangerous situations without giving enough information to others, without taking precautions or weapons or a backup, so infuriating and so unlikely in real life.
It's an over-used narrative device where a situation of immense danger is needed for dramatic purposes, and this is the way to create that scenario.
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Sam
November 17, 2017 at 6:43 AM
i think the risk situations made perfect sense they are both professionals hong joo is a reporter and je chan is a prosecutor they cant exactly not go somewhere because its a night time. They must have done a lot of investigations during night time so there isnt any reason for them to think that the next place they go will be a dangerous one. Also during the fire incident and meeting yoo beum hong joo notified her supervisor before going what more she could do.
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Sam
November 17, 2017 at 6:35 AM
Hong joo became suspicious of woo tak when they were searching for the red vacumn cleaner in the junkyard. He kept showing her a green one instead of red.
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growingbeautifully
November 18, 2017 at 10:15 PM
Ah, I see. I missed that somehow. Thanks for the info Sam!! 😃
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40 gyu_power
November 17, 2017 at 1:51 AM
Loved the show but there's just on e thing I didn't understand. Why Jae Chan starts dreaming of Hong Joo when he moves next to her house and not before? According to Woo Tak's explanations about the dreams, the dreams shoud have started when he was young, just after Hong Joo saved him from drowning, no?
Just like cop ajussi started to have them in the hospital just after HJ and JC save him from his suicidal attempt in the river.
It's not logical for me.
Someone can help me understand? Maybe I missed something.
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tummy
November 17, 2017 at 4:06 AM
The whole dreaming thing was never very logical or entirely consistent through this drama. I just take it as it is.
Or ask yourself another question: why didn't HJ or JC dream about Choi? ha ha!
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41 Rachel
November 17, 2017 at 3:24 AM
Completely agreed with girlfriday's analysis of this drama. I loved I Hear Your Voice and Pinocchio and was looking forward to this drama for a whole year because of the Lee Jong Suk-Park Hye Ryun combination and now its over :(
I think because of that, I had really high expectations for this drama and it didnt quite live up to my expectations.
Things I loved
1. Lee Jong Suk
2. Lovable and quirky characters - I liked that Jae Chan was embarrassing and funny at times rather than previous LJS characters where he was just really cool
3. Un-dramatic romance, which Girlfriday pointed out - Woo Tak was one of the nicest second leads, not getting in the way between our main couple
4. The very first episode - that was one of the best premiere episodes I've watched. Now if only the rest of the drama were like that...
5. The lovely visuals - this drama was amazingly shot. the angles, the parallel scenes, the filter
Things that could be improved
1. More explanation about the consequences of messing with fate - My first thought after Chief Choi's death was whether time was limited for our characters who were saved by dreams ie. Woo Tak.
2. Yoo Bum's interesting character that could be highlighted more
3. Bromance between Woo Tak and Jae Chan
All in all, this drama had the potential to be more but I still loved it :)
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42 Jihye
November 17, 2017 at 3:30 AM
I so love your comments girlfriday... If only...
When I started watching this drama, I'm rooting for Suzy and Jong Suk as their chemistry together were really good... Been watching their other dramas but them together is awesome... Thank you for the recaps and comments...
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43 blessingwind
November 17, 2017 at 4:30 AM
Finally it really is time to say goodbye.
I enjoyed it overall. I think this is one of the few dramas where the supporting cast shined most rather than the leads. Be it, Woo tak, Mr. Choi, Prosecutor Lee, hee min, Sohn , Jung chan's younger brother etc.
I knew that Choi would ultimately be scarified at the end. To be honest, i did not feel much of the connection between the younger Choi and the older Choi, but i still wouldnt want anyone else to play the younger one and the older one respectively. They portrayed their counterparts well. It was sad that Jae chan lost a father cum mentor figure in his life. Mr. Choi would be remembered and missed.
I just wish that they could have shown more of the backstory of Lee Yu bum. His backstory would have been so interesting to know how and why his character was shaped like this. Sad we didnt know more about our antagonist.
From all of the characters, i will truly miss Han Woo tak. He is such a great friend. Thanks for while you were sleeping i found another gem actor called Jung Hae In. I have become a huge fan of him now. I would love to see him in many many roles in the future.
So this is my final good bye to the show. For me, While you were sleeping drama would be remembered as a light which shone through the green leaves on a sunny bright day leaving a smile on our face.. This show was sweet, cute at the same time had many heart-stopping thrilling moments. A good drama with a beautiful talented cast.
PS: miss you Robin. and Seung Won-So yoon deserves a nice drama on them. They look so good together.
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44 Jellibeanie
November 17, 2017 at 5:40 AM
Thank you very much for recapping, Girlfriday!
I’m glad it’s a happy ending! I was entertained because of the warmth this show exudes starting with the breakfast family. Although you’d expect something like the scene in the funeral where it shows Jae-chan and Hong-joo’s past and present, it still warms my heart. I love how the young Jae-chan followed and comforted the young Hong-joo and then it was the other way around during the present. I know it’s not a new thing in dramas but I still love it. But regarding rules about dreaming what will happen to the one who saved you, well, I don’t know what happened there. I mean nobody dreamed about Mr. Choi’s death except himself. I thought since he saved both HJ and JC, they’ll be able to dream about it. Mr. Choi should just have walked a few steps to the pavement instead of staring at the damn falling leaf in the middle of the road. But well he said it was his choice. I do love his character and would like him to continue to be JC’s father figure but I reckon he has to go to have the show some form of a punch, and punched me it did!
I love that Woo-tak is going to study Law and has his breakfast family to help him through it. I love the friendship between him and JC, exchanging “let’s not be awkward to each other and just stay friends” a few times.
I know this isn’t the best drama out there but this is one of those dramas that I can rewatch. Well, just remembering Lee Jong-seuk cute, funny and dramatic scenes is enough to make me rewatch it. I also love Suzy here and well I guess their chemistry as well. They look good together. Can they just date already? Okay, that’s my shallow self talking again, shipping every kdrama leads since time immemorial, lol. But hey, we just recently saw Big Boss and Beauty exchanged vows for real, right? Just dreaming😊...
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45 hallyumint
November 17, 2017 at 6:26 AM
So-yoon does the bend and snap better than Hong joo. Hong joo's looked nuttier while So yoon's sexier.
Has anyone done that in real life ?
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Sanders
November 17, 2017 at 6:51 AM
Nah! I think Hong Joo's is much more better, it has much more finesse!
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46 hanA
November 17, 2017 at 7:01 AM
I couldn't agree more with girlfriday. This drama are about choice. The whole drama was really about the effect that people have on other people, and recognizing that no matter how small a decision seems to you, it could alter someone else’s life irrevocably.
The dream are just like WT theory, they feel indebted and want to repay the person who save their life. I realized one thing. As their strong will to repay the person who save them, they are given the opportunity through the dream, which they choose to follow it despite of it consequences. Chief Choi got that dream and choose to resign from police and become chief investigator which later guide JC to grow as a good prosecutor despite of knowing his death. WT starts the dream when he dream about meeting JC and So yoon incident in Hong Joo samgyupsal, and he choose to bring JC and the table turns. JC probably start to have all of those dream when he make decision to take bus instead of taxi, which is that was the first time he met HJ as an adult, that is the reason why he recognize HJ when HJ have a date with YB on the valentine night , which lead he to dream of her suicide after the accident. JC can't possibly know HJ if he didn't make that choice that day. That just my theory.
HJ probably gifted. or started to dream after she choose to believe her first dream to save her father but end up save the all of the bus passenger except his father.
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47 Shana
November 17, 2017 at 7:36 AM
There is one thing that we have all learnt thanks to this wonderful drama.
It's that Jung Hae In looks sooo good with facial hair! 😍
Thank you, Drama Gods. Thank you for bestowing this precious gift upon us.
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48 kineticx
November 17, 2017 at 7:54 AM
In hindsight, couldn't Wootak have just compared the umbrella colors with the tie and robe, without admitting that he is colorblind? I don't think that would be considered lying, but from his perspective, I could understand him believing it is withholding important information for the trial.
PS I'll miss you, show! Gotta go download the full OST because it was so good!
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49 mmmmm
November 17, 2017 at 8:25 AM
Oh thank you very much the recapper for this show!
Though in my opinion there are many things which I felt a bit lacking in this show, I ADORE this show very much! To me, the main reason why this show is such a great promise is the actors and actresses in this show; they're just brilliant. The plot is interesting but I think is not that perfect. I love Suzy and have absolutely no idea why some said that she is still lacking in terms of acting as I think what she did in Dream High and WYWS is no short of brilliant. She has that capability to draw you in and be loveable no matter how gross her characters can be (e.g. Dream High).
For LJS, I think he is not somebody who I would say he's so handsome. But I think he deserves his name in this industry since all of the characters he's portrayed were believable. Ok.. except from that WIG he wore in Pinochio which I found absolutely ridiculous hahaha.
My final point, Woo Takah is LOVE. He's so cute and the moment he hugged Hong Joo is .. oh.. is so touching. I had butterflies in my stomach!
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50 redfox
November 17, 2017 at 10:25 AM
Woo Tak with a beard. it... must be one of those miracle disguises where you put moustache on someone and he becomes unrecognizable, because I was seriously : "wait, who is this bum?" I am confused about myself.
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