Fated To Love You: Episode 20 (Final)

336 September 6, 2014January 24, 2016

by HeadsNo2

The day we dreaded since we first fell in love is finally upon us, which means that it’s time to say goodbye to the zany and whimsical side of Fated To Love You, while conveniently shelving the angsty side somewhere easily forgotten. At least this isn’t one of those endings that forgets to be an ending, because you’d be hard-pressed to think of one thread that doesn’t get tied into the neatest of bows. If anything, it’s almost too much of an ending, in that it replaced all conflict with cuteness a week ago and decided to spend its last hour as an epilogue. First world problems.

SONG OF THE DAY

Yoo Seung-woo – “Love” [ Download ]

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FINAL EPISODE RECAP

Just as Manager Tak is about to send everyone home now that they’re missing their bride and groom, Gun and Mi-young come through the door hand in hand. Grandma Wang is beside herself with joy.

Mi-young notices Mom is missing, but still begins her walk down the aisle… At least until Mom yells frantically from the doorway, “I’m here!!” She all but falls into Gun’s arms as she worries she’s too late, but everyone’s all smiles and laughter. She’s just in time.

Gun and Mi-young begin their official walk down the aisle this time, which is like night and day compared to when Gun looked like he was walking to his grave the first time around.

Yong notices one of the candles is unlit during the ceremony, and uses his magical fire powers to light it. Haha. I still don’t get this bit, but I’m glad they’re committing to it through the end.

Then it’s the exchange of vows. They promise to take each other as husband and wife, and say aloud (and together) their promise to love and cherish each other for the rest of their lives, till death do they part.

But then there’s the addendum they both say: “No, even if death separates us, we swear to be together forever.” Now man and wife, they kiss to seal the deal. (*sniff*)

On their way to their honeymoon spot on Jeju Island, Gun complains about how short their trip has to be because of Mi-young’s work schedule. She preempts his question on whether work is more important to her than he is, which causes him to stop the car as he extols his impressive lineage, all, Pfft, like I was going to ask anyway! (He was totally going to ask.)

Mi-young takes things into her own hands by literally taking the wheel, leaving Gun panicked in the passenger seat as he asks her if she even has a license. She says she does, but that she’s never driven a car before. HAH.

It’s her way of getting out of Gun’s proposal that she’d have to kiss him at every stop light, but it backfires adorably when Gun realizes that he can kiss her at will now that he’s not the one driving. Cue cuteness overload.

Manager Tak and Yong, dressed like spies, undertake a mission they call “Revival Macau,” which entails them preparing the honeymoon suite (Room 2009) so that Gun and Mi-young can get down to business. Grandma Wang’s orders, of course—she wants a grandchild stat.

We flash back to Grandma Wang telling Gun that she wants a grandchild to hold in ten months, only for Gun to tell her that he planned on enjoying newlywed life with his snail for at least six months. Since that didn’t sit well with her, Manager Tak and Yong are there to make sure things go according to her plan.

Our newlywed couple arrives at Room 2006, and it’s funny how both of them make sure that last number is stuck on and totally unflippable. Little do they know that the two spies are watching from the peephole in Room 2009 across the hall.

After Mi-young puts the kibosh on sexy times before the sun sets, the two of them slow dance under the stars. Mi-young tells him that her father used to dance with her when she was young, calling her “Princess Mi-young” even though she admits that she never felt like much of a princess, and more like a maid.

Gun takes offense to that as he says that his Mi-young is no maid, but a pretty and kind princess who found the key to this prince’s heart. She laughs at the cheesiness of calling him “Prince Lee Gun,” while Manager Tak and Yong literally watch on with snacks in hand.

But they’ve still got something else planned: They’re going to drug the two of them again to really recreate that night in Macau. I’m… not quite sure how to respond to that.

To make matters worse, Gun reiterates to Mi-young that this is their first real night together, considering that neither of them remember that night in Macau.

So to be sure they remember tonight, they make a pact to keep themselves clearheaded, unaware that Manager Tak and Yong have already bribed the bartender to drug their drinks. But when Gun is rejected for a love shot, he brings up how she had no problem doing it with Daniel…

…Which opens another can of worms, since Mi-young had no idea Gun was following her around back then and isn’t all that pleased about it. They both down their (drugged) drinks as a challenge before ordering another round, and Gun makes another misstep when he tells her she shouldn’t drink so much. Mi-young isn’t the snail she used to be, and isn’t a fan of being told what to do.

She leaves in a huff, but Gun isn’t too worried—she’s only got one place to go, and it’s the same as him. He does notice a familiar taste in the drink a little too late, since we find Mi-young stumbling back to her room as she grumbles about having a lover’s quarrel with Gun.

Gun is next to all but crawl his way down the hall, laughing hysterically at the generic paintings on the hotel walls for whatever reason. He can’t escape that feeling of deja vu as he stubbornly tries to enter what should be Room 2006, but which has now been labeled Room 2009 by the Spy Duo.

Mi-young is already in bed when Gun crawls into it, and they find each other with their eyes closed before Gun pulls the blanket over their heads…

Grandma Wang asks the multiple portraits of the Lee Clan ancestors to bless Gun and Mi-young so that they return as three, instead of two. Mama Yong also joins in the prayers, even adding her hope that they’ll have twins.

Dressed in traditional wedding hanbok in a cartoonishly familiar world, Gun and Mi-young act out their wild night together much like they did in Episode 2, replete with zany innuendo. Wouldn’t be the same without it.

They wake up with a scream the next morning, neither of them having any recollection of what happened the night before. Gun cries as he remembers this exact situation in Macau, especially since he’s been looking forward to sleeping with her for years now… and he can’t remember it.

He can’t even remember if they slept slept together, though all signs point to yes. They try to piece together the events of last night, and while both of them remember feeling strangely drunk, Gun belatedly remembers seeing Manager Tak and Yong outside his room. He was just too drugged to recognize them then.

Gun finds them across the hall in Room 2009, and makes the two of them kneel with their hands over their heads like schoolchildren. But Manager Tak and Yong spill the beans to Mi-young that it’s all because of what Gun told Grandma Wang about not wanting a child right away.

Still, Gun can’t get over how the Spy Duo ruined the first night of his honeymoon—but I love how he ends up being the one to hold Mi-young back when she launches at the pair for insinuating that sacrificing one night isn’t such a huge deal when they’ll have countless more in the future.

Daniel confronts Se-ra’s mother with the picture of him and his sister as children, and she doesn’t deny that the little girl is indeed Se-ra. While the weight of this revelation settles in, Se-ra arrives in time for her mother to pull her aside and tell her the truth: She’s adopted.

Se-ra’s mother, freshly lobotomized, shares a tender moment with her adopted daughter as they both agree that they’re still mother and daughter even if they’re not related by blood.

After Gun gets to brag about his wife’s success as an artist, the two lie on the hotel rooftop and stare at the stars. They reminisce about when their fate actually began, and while Mi-young thinks it was when he called her his lady luck at the casino, he thinks it started when they first met, chasing after his ring.

“The thing called fate,” Gun muses, “I thought it would be special, but I don’t think it is. Right now, the person in front of me… Everything will be fine as long as I’m with her. Not being able to imagine being with anyone else but her… I think that’s what fate is.”

“I’m okay even if we aren’t fated to love each other,” Mi-young replies. “Because I’d still love you like we were.” Gun takes her hand as he tells her that her future with him won’t be without difficulties, but Mi-young isn’t afraid, and doesn’t want him to be either: “Let’s do our best to love each other and be happy together every moment of every day for the rest of our lives.”

So Gun makes a vow to her as they look up at the night sky: “Until the day all those stars disappear, I’ll love you like you’re my fate every day.” Mi-young: “Until the day all those stars disappear, I’ll love you like you’re my fate every day.”

And at what feels like long last, the two get to have a night together they’ll actually remember, complete with candlelight and all their unspoken words of undying love passing between them as they kiss, undress, and make love.

One month later.

Grandma Wang and Gun wait in the doctor’s office with bated breath until Mi-young comes out bearing news… she’s having twins! Grandma Wang is over the moon with happiness as she praises her grandson’s virility, which, hah.

But it’s not long before Gun jokingly blames his grandmother for taking away their chance to live as plain ol’ newlyweds, even though he can’t stay that upset. Plus, Grandma Wang isn’t the least bit sorry.

Se-ra finds a post-it note inviting her out for ice cream from her oppa. It’s their first time meeting since they found out they’re brother and sister, since both of them needed time to process their feelings.

But from now on, Daniel wants them to live as siblings, which Se-ra agrees to. In a throwback to their first meeting on the plane, Daniel draws a portrait of his sister—only now he doesn’t have to guess what she looks like.

When Se-ra asks why he’s drawing his sister alone, Daniel’s eyes brim with tears as he mentions the day he lost her while buying ice cream. He tells it like a story that isn’t about her, which is maybe the only way he can get through it, but all that matters is that Se-ra understands.

They both have tears in their eyes as Daniel laments that he wasn’t fast enough back then and has been sorry for it ever since, to which Se-ra replies that he can make it up now by buying his sister that long-awaited ice cream.

Daniel holds out his hand to her, “I’ll never go off by myself again. I’ll always hold on tightly to our Mi-young’s hand.” Se-ra smiles through her tears as she takes his hand and calls him “Oppa.”

Three years later. Doctor Moon and Gun take a look at his crystal clear brain scans, with the good doctor surmising that if he’s had no more symptoms at his age, he can expect to live the rest of his life free of his family’s genetic disease.

However, Gun knows that Doctor Moon is courting Mi-young’s mother, and gives him some tips… like calling her “Lettuce Wrap Lady,” Gun’s favorite nickname for her. And it totally works, earning Doctor Moon a date with an extra-coquettish Mom.

Since we’re wrapping up everyone’s stories neatly, we find out that Manager Tak does have a passion outside of serving Gun—and that passion is dance. (In a fun throwback, his instructor turns out to be one of the many clones of Gun and Mi-young’s prenatal class teacher.)

He totally fangirls when he learns he’ll be taking lessons from a legendary dancer named Charles, only to recognize the pink-clad legend after he salsa’s up to him as none other than Lawyer Hong. Like Manager Tak, he needed a hobby, and it’s not long before the two stop using petty human words in favor of dance, the universal language.

While waiting for Se-ra to get out of her teaching job, Daniel watches with amusement as one of her young male students professes his undying love for her. Then he scares the kid off by saying that he’s the one who loves Se-ra most in this world, only for her to reply that Daniel is also the man she loves the most in this world.

Afterward, Se-ra uses Daniel’s given name to scold him for saying his sister is the person he loves most when he could be dating. Daniel tosses back that she doesn’t have much room to talk when she’s pretty, but also just as single.

Mama Yong reluctantly attends a meeting with Ji-yeon and her father, intent on showing her disapproval once and for all. But when Ji-yeon’s father is revealed to be a chaebol, and she a chaebol heiress, Mama Yong sure does change her tune fast.

When Yong asks why Ji-yeon kept her lineage a secret from him, she admits that she didn’t want him to love her because of her money. But now that Mama Yong smells money, she’s all for a quick marriage.

Gun and Mi-young have a picnic with their twins, a boy and a girl, now toddlers. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Gun was born to be a father, but he manages to surprise even Mi-young when he offers to read the kids his favorite story…

…And he pulls out a hand-drawn, hand-written book called “Princess Snail.” It’s the story of a princess who wore round glasses like their mother, and who was bad at studying. Haha.

The story goes on to say that the princess had an illness making her incapable of refusing a stranger’s request, as well as being incapable of abandoning anyone. In fact, as he tells them, she didn’t even know she was a princess, and thought she was a maid.

Then Gun tells of the rude prince from a neighboring land who called the princess “Snail,” and, living up to her namesake, the princess crept into his life and heart. The prince fell in love with the princess, and suffered an illness where he couldn’t live without her.

As we get taken through a flashback reel, Gun alludes to his real illness by saying that others were worried for the prince, but that he wasn’t afraid because the princess was by his side. “As long as the princess is next to him, the prince will never get sick again.”

He flips to the last page of the book, with a drawing of him and Mi-young, their two children, and lots of adorable snails as he finishes the tale: “The princess and the prince had twins and are living happily ever after.” And forever more, just in case the “ever after” wasn’t enough.

When Gun asks Mi-young if she ever regretted marrying him, she treats it like the ridiculous question it is—why would she?

“Thank you for being by my side from today, and at this very moment.” Gun says.

“Thank you for always being with me that time, not sometime, but this moment,” Mi-young replies.

“I love you, Princess Snail.”

“I love you, Prince Lee Gun.”

COMMENTS

What a sweet ending. Admittedly, I was a little worried during that dark stretch of episodes dealing with Gun’s amnesia and noble idiocy, since that’s where this version deviated so much from the original that any crossover viewers (like me) inevitably lost the ability to predict what would or could happen. Which isn’t a bad thing, since I’m all for adaptations staying true to their roots while forging their own identity. And it’s safe to say that Fated’s strongest point was in its ability to cherry pick what worked in the original while leaving out what didn’t.

And for a little more than half the episode count, this show was perfect. Which is why feeling even vaguely dissatisfied at the end of it all hits much harder than it should, because it’s not the same as watching a nonsensical ending to a bad show or even a mediocre ending to an already-middling show—Fated To Love You was like a ray of sunshine on dramaland’s darkest day. It was the drama that reminded us why we started watching dramas, with a crack factor through the roof, witty writing, and sparkling chemistry between two leads who could not have been more perfectly cast.

But it began to lose what made it truly stand out when Gun’s illness came to the fore, and when it became less about them as a couple and more about Gun shouldering the weight of the world on his shoulders. Noble idiocy isn’t a bad trope in and of itself, and while what Gun did and why wasn’t so beyond the realm of reason as to be incomprehensible, that story thread did surprisingly little to enrich our viewing experience or understanding of the characters.

Because in the end and after years of operating under misinformation and lies from Gun’s camp, Mi-young made the same decision regarding him and his illness as she would have if she’d known the information sooner. The three years spent apart became meaningless, which in effect seemed to make the whole exercise meaningless. So much ended up riding on an illness Gun wasn’t even sure he’d have, and the drama pivoted to become more about the two of them learning to love in the moment without worrying about the future.

Which is, again, a perfectly fine thing for a drama to focus on, except it became about nothing else. It’s a shame when there was so much to mine from how they met through how they dealt with the loss of their unborn child, to their rediscovery of each other. But instead, Gun’s noble idiocy act was like hitting the pause button on what was, up until then, a fast-paced plot—and worst of all, he wasn’t even the one to hit play again.

Even understanding his reasoning now doesn’t change the fact that the story slowed to a crawl after the time skip, and what oddly felt like filler these past couple weeks actually turned out to be filler. I was a bit surprised that this week was dedicated to tying up every single possible loose end you could think of, as well as those you didn’t (because really, who among us would have felt genuinely robbed if we didn’t get an ending for Lawyer Hong?), which seems more indicative of a show that got saddled with a sudden extension more than a show which knew it had twenty episodes from the start it had to fill with story and, yunno, conflict.

But lest I sound too hard on a show that did bring so many of us so much joy, it should be said that though Fated tested the limits on how much time it could stall for, even its filler was packed with more cute antics and warm fuzzies than most shows could ever dream of. It’s still the puppy parade of dramas, but with the bittersweet reminder that those puppies are getting older with every day that passes. Which I guess is as good a reason as any to remind us to enjoy the time we have, even if I already miss the time that’s passed.

336

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1 chane

September 6, 2014 at 4:05 AM

I'm gonna miss this drama so much. It's not perfect and had a lot of flaws but it got me out of my Kdrama-watching dry spell. Here's hoping for another successful drama reunion from the Jjangs in the near future :)

Thank you so much for the recaps Gummi and Heads, you girls rock!

*nowofftorewatchtheentireseries*

Hamo Hamo!

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Snail couple manse~

September 6, 2014 at 4:08 AM

The Jjangs indeed. ;)

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tata

September 6, 2014 at 4:10 AM

Indeed. Hamo Hamooo!! :)

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Toria

September 6, 2014 at 1:27 PM

He He. Hamo Hamo alright!

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Awe

September 6, 2014 at 4:57 AM

yay! for JangJang!

a huge thank you to HeadsNo2 and gummimochi. i wonder if the FTLY production realizes just how important these recaps are for us, ahem, foreigners. thank you dramabeans!

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kanz

September 6, 2014 at 5:13 AM

Jjangs Couple is Jjang!!
They really create the best chemistry so far from the recent shows.

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Curioser and Curiosor

October 25, 2014 at 12:25 PM

I finally managed to finish my last article about "Fated to Love You" and I am a bit surprised at how long it took me to unspool the plethora of feelings this show inspired; to synthesize those feelings into thoughts and then find the words to express it all...

It all still kind of escapes me, but I wanted to share it will my fellow #FTLY fans all the same.

"The Perfection of 운명처럼 널 사랑해 (Fated to Love You)" http://SPQetR.net/archives/2354

I hope you enjoy!

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ujsid

September 6, 2014 at 5:59 AM

I super loved the series too!! and I am sure as hell gonna rewatch it too :D
The finale was good, but I have to say I found the penultimate week to be more exciting and fun than this final one..
And loooool at Dr Octopus and omma getting together! and sec Tak and Lawyer being dancers in those tacky clothes and ridiculously gelled hair LMAO.
I am happy to see Sera and Daniel got someone to rely on at the end too...however I don't know if it's just me or they look more like a couple than siblings...and the song choice in the last epi when she finally called Daniel "oppa" was nothing short of awkward.."when I looked into your eyes, I knew you would be by wife", really is that the best song to pick in a scene showing a sibling reunion...until and unless you are into incest and all OTL
Also commenting on the whole series without actually comparing the 2 versions would be incomplete imo...I loved the T version, BUT I am 100% sure that I loved and enjoyed the K version waaay more! it was lighter on the angst and way more fun and cute with loooads of puppy romance ♡
I am glad I picked up this drama, it gave me 20 hours of pure unadulterated fun! hoping for another Jang couple reunion soon!
Good job FTLY cast and crew members, you guys totally gave us a drama we would remember for a long time!
Also thank you to the recappers for your fun recaps and wonderful insight!

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chane

September 6, 2014 at 7:02 AM

Yeah, that sibling reunion was sweet but soooo awkward because of the background song. Out of all the songs in their tracklist they had to score that moment with 'Be The One?' 0_o

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

September 6, 2014 at 9:45 AM

I know, I was laughing at that choice of song - talk about inappropriate! The actors were sweet and convincing as siblings though, no fault of theirs.

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ujsid

September 6, 2014 at 7:53 PM

True!
But I wish to see Choi Jin Hyuk and Wang Ji Won in a drama together, as a couple...they looked really beautiful together :D

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Ftly

September 7, 2014 at 1:10 AM

Seriously, I knew I am not the only one who noticed that song and the utter awkwardness of the Daniel, SeRa scenes. :P

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

September 6, 2014 at 9:49 AM

Jang+Jang = JJANG!!!!!!!!!! (and I second that, Hamo hamo!)

After a lot of recent letdowns, this is the drama that gave me back my faith in just what a good Korean drama - especially a romcom - can be. And that people besides the Hong sisters can write a good romcom, even if it's not perfect.

Goodbye my Snail Couple, I'll miss you.

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jhu

September 6, 2014 at 10:38 AM

pogo-sshi, this show was kind of imperfect. and Hong sisters also leave their shows somewhat imperfect. but i find myself liking this one more for its imperfections.

sometimes the Hongs are so clever, they lose me. but Fated always has a way of attacking the heart directly. sharp shooter, our show. i'll always feel melty, melty about the Jangs in Fated unlike anything I've seen with the Hong OTPs.

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Benine

September 6, 2014 at 12:35 PM

Me too, no matter how imperfect this drama is, I still love it but with the Hong Sisters drama, they usually start out great but the thing that made me love it at the start fades away at the second half and so does my initial love for it.

This drama basically did the same thing, the first half was pure perfection in my eyes and the next 7 episodes wasn't nearly as great but it was all redeemed by the last 3.

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

September 6, 2014 at 12:46 PM

I'm fully aware that the Hong sisters dramas have imperfections re: pacing and melo in the middle (and Big was just bad) but on the whole, their romcoms are watchable and hold up to multiple viewings, and they are funny.

That said, they usually cast good OTPs and make things funny and zippy. Note that I said good, not GREAT - FTLY wins for creating a greater warmth and drawing out the stories of literally every supporting character, sometimes in unexpected ways.

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

September 6, 2014 at 12:49 PM

In fact, the only Hong sisters OTP that even comes close to approaching what the Jangs have here in terms of chemistry, is So Ji-sub and Gong Hyo-jin in Master's Sun.

I don't think it's a coincidence that they are also A-list veterans actors, or that SJS was normally a melo actor - it just makes for a great performance when the actor really throws themselves into it, like SJS earlier and Jang Hyuk now. (I only wish SBS had not been so chaste with the MS couple)

jhu

September 6, 2014 at 1:50 PM

Pogo, I will stick by my assertion that SJS had the most sizzling chemistry with himself in Master's Sun.

It was a one man show, all the way through epi 1 to 17. Gong Hyo-who?

And I have a sneaking suspicion the Hong sisters intended it that way.

EPYC

September 6, 2014 at 8:41 PM

Agreed. Hong sister dramas are usually good for its first 8-9 episodes and then losing steam. It's like they could come up with interesting concept but have never managed to realise the full potential - and especially weak in dealing with emotion. Very unfortunate.

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gustave154

September 6, 2014 at 10:16 AM

more Jjang couple in the near future please!! I can't wait another 12 years coz my heart can't take it...

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Jennipoh

September 6, 2014 at 11:24 AM

Totally with you on that. It's been a very long time since I've followed a drama and its thread here on DB so diligently! Here's the one time I profess to being a stalker...

And while I'm a bit disappointed with the ending (sorry to be the minority), I have absolutely no regrets–this journey of 20 episodes with y'all have been such a GRAND ride!!! The laughter, the tears, and the awesome comments that was to be scrolled through every week–I'm going to miss all of it. I appreciate that this drama has fostered such a lovely community in support of it, and I just want to really thank everyone for making this happen. And thank you to FTLY recappers, and in the larger scope, Dramabeans. I have a follower for seven years, and for me to finally experience this sort of fandom, it's kind of amazing.

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Gidget

September 6, 2014 at 3:46 PM

I'm in that minority with you about the ending. Let me see if I can put this into words.

I was expecting that they'd unwind the angsty segment of episodes by showing us that they were necessary for character development. That without them, Gun and MY wouldn't be able to come together as a strong couple. I thought there was a way they could do this.

But instead, they didn't show us that. Like Heads said, they made the only lesson learned that they needed to live in the moment. This negated all justification for the prolonged angst. They could have realized that 'every day together is a gift' after they unexpectedly lost KD to the car of doom.

In all, the last two episodes had me thinking that it seemed like they gave up on delivering a well crafted story. Instead, they opted for to give us slapdash collection of fanservicey swan song vignettes for each of the primary characters. Many of which seemed designed as delivery vehicles for winks and nods to topics that are de rigueur in the entertainment industry; despite their lacking any real footing as necessary components of the story. In the end it made the vignettes feel similar to those drama scenes that nothing more than poorly integrated delivery vehicles for PPL.

But, to it's credit, even though I was disappointed by how Fated ended, I still really love the overall story. Lots and lots.

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jhu

September 7, 2014 at 12:09 AM

Gidget, I was looking forward to your comment. And even though you (we) are in the minority, I don't think it's by a wide margin. Apart from blatant PPLs themselves, many scenes did feel like adverts for abstract life-goals like love, marriage, children, happiness. And yup, a resolution like that could have come as far back as epi 12/13.

There are lots of people (Heads included) who saw the good for what it was, and then saw the bad for what it was. But, like you (us), everyone loved the experience of watching it. And so, it'll always have a special place in our hearts.

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briefly-delurking

September 7, 2014 at 5:15 AM

I strongly believe that the show needed at most 3 episodes of angst just to show how much the characters had grown/changed and then Gun should have gone crawling back to her (evil laugh)

However, i am satisfied with the ending. An ending more in tandem with episodes 11-18 would have resulted in Gun's death at the end. And while that would have pleased my story-telling side, it would have absolutely made me miserable.

I hope the writers learn from this though and next time (for you know there will still be an illness next time) they stick to diseases that can be at least curable.

dpanda

September 6, 2014 at 4:22 PM

I will miss FTLY
I loved it very much

This phrase 20 really got me:
"I thought that fate was something special, but it doesn't seem to be now. The one in front of me right now, I’m fine with everything as long as I’m with her. I can’t imagine loving anyone else but her. I think that’s what fate is. I’m fine even if we aren't fated to love each other because I’d still love you fatefully."

I want that kind of love.

Thank you so much Heads No 2 and Gumimochi. You guys have been daebak.
To the other FTLY-ers, it's been a pleasure reading your comments.

If you are interested, you can stop by stuckonhyuk.wordpress.com on details of how to get the director's cut dvd.

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Lizzy

September 7, 2014 at 8:01 PM

I just rewatched the entire series...going through withdrawals...I LOVED this series. Jjangs were AWESOME!!! Hard to find that type of chemistry.

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Chups

September 12, 2014 at 10:05 AM

yes i agree to the many flaws.

i think the taiwan version was better.
however, for those who have yet to watch it, and are considering to catch it, please factor that the production was 6 years ago.

the comedic sense may not be as strong, but it sure didn't have all the illness saga.

Cannot deny that there were some really good casting such as jang na ra, but there were also many unimportant supporting roles that didn't get any character development.

Jang-nara, is as adorable as ever, i prefer her more than the taiwan's female lead, Chen Qiao En.

Jang Hyuk performance was good, but more important it's the Jangs pairing that made it awesome.
ethan ruan gave a really good performance also. so no lacking in male casting.

daniel pitt, surpassed the bad casting in the taiwan version, known as Dylan rather than daniel.

sera was awkward at many times, but so was Bai Wei Xiu for that role.

i felt a little weird that sera original name is kim mi young, to think that she has always seen mi young as a threat, there are way too many possible negative complications. didn't think the name was a brilliant change.
and couldn't understand how the actress playing se-ra, can go from a 4th in line supporting actress in good doctor (i.e. she's the least important among that doctor's team), to a second female lead....

I love the comedic ensemble the taiwanese brought, kim mi young or Chen Xin Yi's mother, and 2 sisters were hilarious, so were their partners. The eldest sister did get together with the secretary.

other than the 2 main lead, there isn't really much excitement about the story development of the other cast members.

even though i've tried to watch it from a fresh perspective, still it's quite frustrating sometimes when you see the story get too off course to the intended one.

hmmm mixed feelings. friends of mine and also fans of the taiwan version asked if this is worth watching.
hmmmm i haven quite decided.

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2 geLLiebean0313

September 6, 2014 at 4:11 AM

Finally, the finale :D

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3 Snail couple manse~

September 6, 2014 at 4:13 AM

Thanks for the terrific recaps, HeadsNo2 and gummimochi!! Then again …

::Sobs:: ::Sniffles:: Gonna miss the Jjangs, the unborn Keddongie … and the cute drawings. “Ellie Kim” has fans all over the world!

A paean to the artist: http://aphilosopherchair.wordpress.com/2014/09/05/the-art-of-fate/ (in English)

The artist’s exhibition: http://blog.naver.com/PostView.nhn?blogId=codus6482&logNo=220099042570 (in Korean … but the place is practically Ellie Kim heaven!)

the artist’s restaurant: http://ameblo.jp/eriii13/entry-10794368993.html (in Japanese)

the food there: http://tbzfenghuang.blog.163.com/blog/static/12698319320116304646651/ (in Chinese)

bags galore: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.425671934136303.90148.259380217432143&type=3 (in Thai)

Is there some kind of comprehensive fan site though for her stuff?

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4 sgpgirl

September 6, 2014 at 4:15 AM

While I recognize that Fated was not without its flaws, I could not stop myself from falling in love with this show. I started watching out of curiosity as a remake of a T drama I had seen many moons ago. Somewhere along the way, it became a drama in its own right & I realized I was no longer making comparisons.

The anticipation of each new week’s episodes was palpable. Once watched, began the slow, painful countdown to next Wednesday.

There was so much heart and love between LG & KMY. I was so happy just watching them being happy. Jang Hyuk & Jang Nara – their chemistry is indescribable; I have trouble believing that they are NOT in love.

Thank you for 10 brilliant, dizzy weeks of laughing and crying along with this amazing couple.

Dear FTLY - Goodbye, my Love.

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Awe

September 6, 2014 at 5:21 AM

well said, sgpgirl--

the delivery of the message to live life laughing and live in the present moment was well executed through the use of the characters, colors, fashion and even the product placements.

do we overlook the show's flaws? why not? we numb ourselves to overlook our other show favs...why not give FTLY the same courtesy?

i will say this, that even with it's flaws, i -not once- ever left show for a pee break or snack break. i didn't even leave to get the much needed tissue box and tbh, i now have pillow cases and shirt sleeves to wash b/c i came to watch a couple of episodes without tissues. gross but true. and the most ridiculous aspect of this, is that i watched the series online...meaning i could press pause anytime...but i didn't...wouldn't...couldn't.

it's rare that a drama can effect me this way. hats off to FTLY for all your quirky, quick, and cheerful deliveries about combating the unknown fears of a genetic disease and building relationships in spite of them.

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panda

September 6, 2014 at 8:52 AM

"do we overlook the show’s flaws? why not? we numb ourselves to overlook our other show favs…why not give FTLY the same courtesy?"

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nomad

September 6, 2014 at 7:19 AM

Sooo right. I'm convinced, during filming, they truly truly love each other (don't pop my bubbles, hah! :P)

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5 Aileen

September 6, 2014 at 4:15 AM

Goodbye my crack, what do I (kdrama addict) do now??? First world problems.

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6 Bar bar bar

September 6, 2014 at 4:16 AM

*Dies* (from all the cuteness). I love that this episode ended on a high note and that our couple got their much-deserved happy ending.

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Awe

September 6, 2014 at 5:24 AM

bar bar bar--

during the whole "macau revival" scenes...i completely forgot that i was watching the final episode.

seriously, i was like...GIVE ME MORE!

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Bar bar bar

September 6, 2014 at 5:35 AM

Lol, me too, the cute wasn't enough for me. I wanted MORE. This show really made me super greedy.

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

September 6, 2014 at 9:51 AM

I know, so many dramas forget to give us some actual time with the couple just being happy, because they think it's boring. But this was perfect!

(and yes, I laughed and laughed at Yong and Secretary Tak getting busted for Operation Macau, it was really too bad to do that to Gun and Mi-young again! But it did make it perfect when they finally did it fully consciously)

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7 JD

September 6, 2014 at 4:18 AM

Brilliantly acted, written, and directed.
This drama is everything that I wanted a kdrama to be.

What I loved most about the drama is how genuine and heartwarming the whole premise is.
The story itself is nothing new. There was quite a few classic kdrama tendencies (ahem amnesia, time jumps, ahem).

However, what sets it all apart from other kdramas is how brilliant it was executed.
2014 is a year of kdrama reunions. I'm proud to say that Jang Nara and Jang Hyuk's reunion stands tall above the rest.

Personally, I don't give a lot of kdramas a perfect 10/10 rating. In fact, My Lovely Kim Sam Soon and Reply 1997 are probably the only two dramas deserving of a perfect score. I'm glad to say that Fated To Love You certainly deserves to be given a perfect score. What a lovely finish to the series. It was as brilliant as it started.

Drama, I'll miss you.

Lee Geon's wacky laughter, I'll miss you more.

Snail Couple, I'll miss you most.

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jhu

September 6, 2014 at 11:16 AM

"What I loved most about the drama is how genuine and heartwarming the whole premise is."

So spot-on JD. That sums up the beauty in the drama and the joy in our experience of it. :)

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8 Sanchai

September 6, 2014 at 4:19 AM

This drama made me feel things!!! I can't believe it's over!!!

Goodbye Snail Couple <3

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9 elgoog

September 6, 2014 at 4:21 AM

I just want to say that the Jjangs/our snail couple did a fantastic job and I'll miss them :)

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10 Bar bar bar

September 6, 2014 at 4:21 AM

No Jung joon young cameo?

http://www.soompi.com/2014/08/08/singer-jung-joon-young-to-cameo-in-fated-to-love-you/

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teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 4:51 AM

I think his "cameo" was audio-only, the first DJ preceding the hilarious Que Sara Sara Sara mashup in one of the earlier car rides.

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Bar bar bar

September 6, 2014 at 5:00 AM

I was expecting a real cameo because he mentioned it in a Kcon interview, he said he did one after the audio cameo. Maybe they cut that part out.

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teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 5:06 AM

Yeah, most probably. From what I see, I think they cut out a lot of stuff D:

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11 yoadrian

September 6, 2014 at 4:23 AM

Sad. I miss something in the last episode and cannot identify it, but want it badly.

Still,it would take many times the space I’m allotted to attempt to describe the superlatives I have for FTLY, because the force is truly strong in this one.

So, is it dangerous to go back and watch the previous episodes? Yes, but you have to do it everyday.

Is it dangerous to listen to the soundtrack? Yes, of course. Everyday.

Should you get yourself a copy of this drama, when released? Yes, right away.

KMY and Gun - for showing us that love, as certain as loss, is always there for you - a big thank you.

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Boxed-In

September 6, 2014 at 5:22 AM

About the 'missing something' part, I was disappointed that there was no mention of Keddongie in this last leg, after their reconciliation, considering how palpable the baby's presence was throughout the show. For the most part I liked watching the finale and all the sweetness, but perhaps tempering the cookie-cutter perfection with a bit of sadness would have made it...more soulful? Minor quibbles, really.

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yoadrian

September 6, 2014 at 8:30 AM

Ah, Keddongie. I think at this finale the writers were more like "Let's go. Let's get this done". It was more of that immediacy, and this was the most luxurious we got.
Still so much fun though.

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panda

September 6, 2014 at 8:53 AM

I agree, a scene with both of them making a reference to Keddongie would have been really great.

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sweetcaroline

September 6, 2014 at 9:03 AM

i did miss keddongie too, i wish he was part of the fairytale. i think keddongie story ended when daddy gunnie had entrusted him to grandma lee somewhere in ep 17.

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sweetcaroline

September 6, 2014 at 9:26 AM

keddongie is in good hands with grandpa and grandma lee.

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jhu

September 6, 2014 at 11:18 AM

I too really miss Keddongie like s/he was a major character who got sidetracked in the end. What can we do? Show got us too emotionally invested in him/her.

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Boxed-In

September 6, 2014 at 11:49 AM

In my head, Gun and Mi-young take their twins to say hello to their older sibling.
Then they tell the ever-smiling Keddongie: "Thank you for bringing us together. You're our joy."

Something like that. Yeah. :D

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cingdoc

September 6, 2014 at 9:25 PM

Well said.... Totally perfect plotline ^.^

loveprevail

September 7, 2014 at 7:44 AM

Gun and Mi Young had twins. Keddongie came back into their lives with a brother in tow.

That's how I see it. :)

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chrisangel

September 7, 2014 at 5:39 PM

I wish I had posted that, a beautiful thought!

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12 RcanDscla

September 6, 2014 at 4:24 AM

Great acting, awesome OST, memorable characters and the OTP spent the last episode being all adorable and lovey-dovey, so no complaints here. Thanks for the recaps.

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13 Feliss

September 6, 2014 at 4:24 AM

Secretary tak dancing scene i think it is parody from scent of a woman drama
Bye fated im gonna miss you..

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jhu

September 6, 2014 at 11:32 AM

Definitely felt like a parody, especially since it was everyone's secret business to go dancing in Scent? It reminded me of that balding coworker guy in particular? Was it the boss? Mind's blurry.

The last episode had meta picks from practically every k-drama out there. What I can gather:

- Wedding scene. Fated copying itself.
- Open hooded car scene - Coffee Prince.
- Lighthouse scene. Practically every show ever. But most recently MND?
- Spy scene. Men in Black? Am sure there's some reference to some action k-movie or drama there. LOVED this bit.
- Dancing by the moonlight. I'm sure this has happened before in dramaland. Can't pinpoint exactly.
- Sec Tak's puckered lip reaction to uri couple dancing in the moonlight - he sounds and behaves EXACTLY like Seo In-guk as Min-suk.
- Rice pounding part two.
- Swimming pool at night - Master's Sun
- Making love - umm...less awkward, cringe-worthy version of Personal Taste
- Dancing sequence - Scent of a Woman
- Yong meets Ji-yeon's Appa - Again, this has happened before. Just don't remember where.
- Babies - Very Greatest Loveish

If you're imitating to this degree, I am compelled to call it original. A pretty little collage it was.

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panda

September 6, 2014 at 12:04 PM

Some said the open car scene was a recreation of SSBG which i have not seen, so i can't verify.

BTW, i am amazed that in episode 20 i actually liked LG's last haircut. It definitely made him look younger, plus he looked SO HOT in the car with his shades.

The rice pounding scene was so crazy and erotic. LOL. It was super suggestive (at least to me)plus the sounds they were making.........

And when he kissed her finally in the "genuine" bed scene, the fact that his eyes were open added an extra intimate touch to the proceedings. Heavens if JH wasn't married i would have so shipped them together.

The ending was also in the end very Greatest Loveish. Read somewhere that it was the same director for both shows

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Boxed-In

September 6, 2014 at 12:11 PM

Oh yeah. The rice-barley pounding scene. And the bunnies! OMG the bunnies. Could they BE any more cute-explicit? I died laughing.

Somebody needs to write a text translation for that scene.

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dukdam

September 6, 2014 at 6:29 PM

I think someone actually did write up a text translation of the rice-barley game (with moving gif images) in one of the Korean boards.

If I remember the rules of the game correctly, the objective of the game is to grasp the opposite person's fist when they say 'rice' instead of barley.

In the last scene of the game, after Gun was all 'I gotcha, mwahahah' and grabby feely with MY's fist, and then she goes "barley", which meant that the game had to continue... I died with laughter.

Boxed-In

September 7, 2014 at 1:28 AM

@dukdam: Hehe. Really? I wish I could read it. Jang Nara's expressions when she asked for 'barley'....EPIC.

14 panda

September 6, 2014 at 4:24 AM

I am not a writer at all but I have had this incredible compulsion to write about my FTLY. I hope doing so can convey a bit of how I feel for this show. I apologize in advance for my rambling, I just felt I had to write it before I burst. LOL. Okay, here goes:

I started watching FTLY with ZERO expectations. I had never seen any Jang Hyuk nor Jang Nara drama before and so I had no previous memories to draw on. I saw the stills on DB before the show aired and wondered “why does that man have that hairstyle”? “why is he wearing such a brightly coloured suit”?..... Who would have thought at the end of the show I would miss both of those things so much??

So, I watched the first episode and laughed a bit, thought to myself why does this guy have Dokko Jin’s laugh? Thought the first ep. was well cute, but not spectacular and might not have seen ep2 except I make it a policy to ALWAYS watch the first 2 episodes of any kdrama before I drop/keep it. And Boom, magic happened.

I know the exact moment things changed for me. It was the scene after the whole rice pounding confusion had cleared, and Gun was in his room surveying the mess and recovering from hearing Sera’s voicemail on his phone. He sat on the bed, looked around with this expression of such heartbreak and that’s when I fell in love irrevocably with the show. I had enjoyed the comedy in ep.2 until then, the rice pounding scene, etc. was funny but THAT SCENE with Jang Hyuk just stole my heart and breath and I knew nothing would be the same.
(P.S., after ep.2 I went and watched Thank You, Chuno, Midas and finished them all before FTLY ended)

So I watched and the show kept taking me to giddy heights. It was so hilarious and never lost its heart. My love deepened for the new family that was forming before my eyes: LG,MY, Kedongie (KD) and I started praying that the Korean version would deviate from the original in KD’s fate. Alas, that didn’t happen and we got to Act 2.

So many people had issues with the angst in Act 2 but I didn’t. Why? Because the show never lost its heart. I could empathize fully with LG and his obstinacy in not confessing to her, and yet his compulsion in still wanting to be near her. Isn’t that what happens sometimes in life? The show made me realize that just because it was a rom-com doesn’t mean it wouldn’t make me cry for 5 episodes straight. I cried for this show. Their emotions were so real and raw.

And then we had the final act after the reconciliation. As I was a wreck this last week. After reading on some forums and blogs that Gun might die, I really was a wreck. I didn’t want that to happen. I wanted my Happy Ending any way possible and I am ecstatic I got it.

Do I think this week’s episodes were filler? No. I loved that the show had a proper ending for our beautiful love story. I so hate the practice of OTPs declaring love 10mins to end of show. And I felt that for this particular couple, they deserved to have a proper ending and I am happy...

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panda

September 6, 2014 at 4:36 AM

...we got it.

So I just wanted to say Thank You FTLY. For making me love you, for being filled with more heart than any show I have seen recently. You were certainly NOT perfect by along shot: you were not the best written (esp in latter episodes), you were a tad bit overlong but I wouldn’t trade you for any other drama.

Your two amazing leads acted their cute behinds off and the supporting cast was no slouch either. You took me to incredible, incredible highs, you brought me to such lows but you never, ever lost your heart.

So show, for introducing me to Lee Gun, Mi Young, Omma, Sec Tak, Dragon, Daniel Pitt, Halmoni, the hamo hamo guys….. I thank you. For making me grieve so much for a fictitious character (KD) I thank you. For re-enforcing that Life is meant to be lived to the fullest no matter what condition you are in, I Thank you. For making these past 3 months so great in dramaland, I thank you. For turning me to a stalker on Dramabeans and DB OT, Stuckonhyuk.wordpress.com, spqetr.net; I thank you. For making me have such lovely conversations with other db posters: jhu, boxed-in, pogo, awe, noble_ood, curioserandcurioser, samsooki, cingdoc, nomad….. and soooo many others; I thank you.

Thank you s much, HeadsNo2 and Gummimochi for the incredible recaps.

Lastly for introducing me to the sheer AWESOMENESS that is Jang Hyuk, Ohhhhh I Thank you.

I love you snail couple and I am so freaking happy you got your fairy tale ending. Thanks for making me so happy. I will miss you dearly.

Love always

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tee

September 6, 2014 at 4:48 AM

Panda, this is really sweet.
I love and will miss Fated a lot too.
Hugs

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Boxed-In

September 6, 2014 at 4:50 AM

Panda, don't EVER say you can't write, okay? You just made me misty-eyed. Your experience is so similar to my own, I can't even...& yes, even I think the angst in FTLY was fantastic- it goddamn hurt, but it hurt so good.
& it will forever remain one of the very, very few romances where I've loved BOTH the protagonists throughout. How often can we say that about a love story? We almost always play favourites, but man, this couple... these two had me on this emotional roller-coaster where I laughed and cried with both of them for weeks. Whattay couple, really.
It was awesome talking to you too. I'm sure nobody's going anywhere yet, so let's just make the best of it while we're here, okay? Love. <3

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Panda

September 6, 2014 at 5:12 AM

I really can't write, but this show did stuff to me. Lol
I was always counting down to Wednesdays and Thursdays so eagerly......

And what you said about the protagonists is also correct. I love(d) them both so much. They were real people to me and not just characters.

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jhu

September 6, 2014 at 9:25 AM

aww. you guys. <3

look at how Fated turned uri panda into a poet! what a lovely tribute to the show. so heartfelt. and i can see so many of my own feelings echoed in yours.

it's been such a pleasure watching this drama. but it's been that much more special sharing it with you. you've oozed with so much love for it, and it's clearly made you so happy. and even when we've complained about the show, and you haven't agreed, you've been so accepting, allowing us to have our say without being dismissive or thinking we are idiots. i've enjoyed every comment you've posted, panda. will think of them as little haikus. and this one as your master piece. :)

you know...it's a rare instance when we actually feel like we're being heard. even out there in the real world. like when you want to desperately share something that has been so meaningful or eyeopening for you, people will look past you with a distant gaze and nod at all the appropriate intervals, but you always get a sense that they don't really care about what you have to say?

and for some strange reason, it had to be random comments i'd be posting somewhat anonymously about a k-drama that i felt like i was actually being listened to. like what i said mattered to people. so strange. but it's been so uplifting. being here. never have i felt this embraced. so can i say, thank you guys so much.

it's been equally great coming here and listening to others. like maybe i shouldn't be amazed at what people think of a silly little drama, but hearing what they think gave me a peek into their souls. and whatever i found there, i loved.

this shared space, our shared love. such a funny thing that something like a tv show can bring strangers together, where they share in each other's happiness.

so for me, it's been that kind of a show, Fated. yes i have had my gripes, but i'll never forget what it's done for me. Heads says it reminded us why we started watching dramas in the first place. although i've watched uncountable dramas in the past two years, i didn't know why i was doing it. it wasn't like i truly loved any of it. Fated will be the reference point for me. this - is what i'd been looking for in a drama all along. and had NEVER found before. now i can say, Fated is the reason why i will continue to watch dramas, hoping to find another one as great as this (hoping to find that next drama that will sustain what Fated started along with) so i'll always be grateful for that.

i actually loved watching the BTS on a regular basis. other than reminding me that the actors are just actors and that they are so good at what they do, it served to remind me of how many people were actually involved in the making of any particular scene that i loved. it's so easy to think of only the actors as being responsible for creating moments.

and we want to believe that...

jhu

September 6, 2014 at 9:27 AM

...and we want to believe that all of Gunnie's greatness is a manifestation of Oppa Love's greatness. but he, too, works with what he gets. the screenwriter gives him a model, the director gives him a canvas, the stylists give him paint, the music, the lights work like paintbrush. so that he can finally craft that beauty we see on screen.

we tend to think of actors as people who live some higher, more grandiose form of reality than us. i've always felt like it's got a lot to do with pride and vanity. but acting actually seems to require bowing down to, surrendering in a way to the forces around you - the script, the direction, the editing. and moulding yourself to the demands set by the team as a whole. you are guided by a vision that is larger than yourself. and you respect the uncertainty that entails. what humility. then i got peering within my stubborn egoistic self and felt like i could actually learn a thing or two from this little epiphany.

oh lordy, i'm going into essay mode again. :(

so team effort. just wanted to revise my views on the production team. because every time the two Jangs sparkled on screen, i now have a feeling that the whole team had a lot to do with it.

i may always be a little glarey-eyed towards the writers. but who am i kidding? they gave me the best characters and most moving interactions between these characters (before driving them to poop territory). they were a large part of the reason i began loving the show. they filled these wonderful actors' shoes with amazing characters. were i in their place, would i have been able to write a show even half as good? pfft.

the thing that i'll always remember Fated for is how it was present in my heart and mind even while i wasn't actively watching it. like how i'd be smiling to myself, and it'd be difficult explaining to a colleague that it had to do with that one scene in this k-drama i've been watching and obsessing over. haha. so much of my time spent alone actually became time i spent with Fated. sometimes with the OST playing, but mostly with me just replaying scenes from the show and simply smiling.

my favourite scene, or what first got me hooked to the show, is probably the morning after the rice pounding, when Gunnie (with his first flippy, flappy hairdo) reached out to Mi-young in bed and just...held her. he just held her with all this...unconstrained tenderness. for me, it like a promise being made. that's when you had me, show.

ohhh i will miss all this. just wanted to say, girls! it's been so rewarding tripleting with you over this. my heart is bursting with gratitude.

panda

September 6, 2014 at 10:49 AM

@JHU I love you and i will mis you
Reading your comments just re-enforced that i cant write cos your words were so beautiful.

"you know…it's a rare instance when we actually feel like we're being heard. even out there in the real world. like when you want to desperately share something that has been so meaningful or eyeopening for you, people will look past you with a distant gaze and nod at all the appropriate intervals, but you always get a sense that they don't really care about what you have to say?

That was a beautiful statement and it echoed how i felt exactly.

And i also loved that scene. And before the rice pounding when he drew her to him and put his hand on hers on his ear.............. Beautiful tender moments that i will treasure forever

Boxed-In

September 6, 2014 at 11:31 AM

Jhu, that was...beautiful to read. & so so true. We so often forget that there is a much bigger team behind the cameras who the actors are completely dependent on for how we see them on-screen, and perceive their characters. And they receive so little thanks and so much criticism for their work.

I loved every single moment where Gun and Mi-young touched and looked at each other with this incredible tenderness. A rare sight in K-dramas where I see heroines being dragged around at will. When it comes to romantic stories, I've always enjoyed the love-hate ones a lot more than their sappier counterparts, but the Gun and Mi-young relationship was such a different, and lovely thing to behold. So gentle. Maybe it was the actors, the writing, the music...or all of it, I don't know. It just made me melt.

As for the show as a whole, in my book, anything which has inspired such a lot of love for its characters and among the viewers is a massive success. Critiquing and analysing stuff has its place, but FTLY has left with the same lasting impression that a fairytale does- everything in me wants to scoff at it, but deep down, it is what I'd choose to read to my children some day.

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panda

September 6, 2014 at 12:06 PM

A giant YES to EVERYTHING you wrote! EVERYTHING

cingdoc

September 6, 2014 at 10:03 PM

All 3 of you stated everything that's on my mind but far more eloquently... I am just a shallow fan girl that if the show is what it says it is( fluffy for romcom , 2 tissues on hand for melo( Angel Eyes- boxes worth!)) then I'm sold.
For some of you who know me from way back when (2006), I'm the sucker who would finish a drama, warts and all. My undying love for my ILU had taken multiple 16+ hrs of my life for some WTH turkeys.... But what to do, kdrama addiction is powerful and need to be fed ^.^.

As stated before, it's my first encounter with both Jangs( yeah, I live in a cave :( ... The initiative that led me to FTLY is that I was still drooling over CJH from Emergency Couple. ( and it's sad his character almost became minimal toward the end).I have never seen the TW version of FTLY and have ZERO expectation. Initially, I didnt care about JH over the top, LOUD LOL, but Gunnie grew on me...and how could anyone NOT love and cheer for our Snail Couple???!!!

So, FTLY, like the rest of the fans here, I want to profess my love to you. Thank you for being one of the best rom com I've seen ( all 20 hrs are worthy!) Thank you for making me LOL, cry( many, many times)& swoon over the love the OTP has for each other. Are you perfect- no.... There are parts that was unnecessary( some of the Sera/ Daniel parts were random and seemed forced/ too late?? ) but you still a gem to me...esp with the saccharine happily ever after ending.

I want to especially thank our awesome recappers
@ gummimochi and @ HeadsNo2 for ALL their hard work ( and FAST) recaps.

I also want to say thank you to all the fellow commenters for sharing their civil( yes, that's important) and constructive critiques. It's fun and never stop to amaze me, how we all are strangers who never met each other and yet ( sometimes) have the exact sentiments... Perhaps, we are fated to meet ( sorry, cheesy, eh??!)

jhu

September 7, 2014 at 12:00 AM

There is something so special about the fandom this show has generated.

I'll always think of each of you here as part of our little family of FTLY lovers.

And what would we have done without big mommas Gummi and Heads? I love everything she says in this final commentary. It's kind and appreciative, yet honest and illuminating.

Things like these keep me coming back to DB for more.

sgpgirl

September 6, 2014 at 5:05 AM

@panda

you said it beautifully. Thank you for expressing what I couldn't. I never watched anything with Jang Hyuk or Jang Nara before this (how is that possible? What have I been missing?!!!)

I marathoned Chuno while waiting for Fated episodes (cried like mad - almost as much as when we lost Keddongie) and now looking forward to watching all of his previous works.

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Panda

September 6, 2014 at 5:14 AM

I did the same! also Thank You, and Midas and watched Innocent Thing and The Client. The guy is an acting Power-house

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teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 5:20 AM

I am actually watching Thank You now but it's a tad too slow for my liking. My attention span = goldfish level. And as much as I like GHJ... they aren't good together. Separately yes, together no.

I caught The Client awhile back but wasn't that impressed with the film, having freshly watched The Chaser prior. I barely remembered JH in it, lol.

How's Midas??

sgpgirl

September 6, 2014 at 5:59 AM

I really really liked him in Chuno - thought he did an amazing job. I'm close to the end of Thank You - like @teepot said, it's a little slow but I still like it. Although not as much as Chuno.

I also managed to watch most of SSBG. The subbing was sparsely done so I actually had to FF through many parts and the video quality was not too great either. But I wanted to watch the Jjangs first outing together. I have to say Jang Hyuk has improved so much - as an actor and hotness level! - his range is pretty impressive.

Do you know where I could watch a subbed version of Innocent Thing? What did you think of it? I'll be working my way through the rest of his works.

panda

September 6, 2014 at 8:59 AM

Chuno was awesome. He carried the entire show

Thank You is slow but i like it. It was quite powerful in both message and performances.

Midas isn't bad. It has a LOT of corporate scenes and whatnot though

I saw Innocent thing (eng subbed) on either gooddrama.net

tebz10

September 6, 2014 at 12:40 PM

Oh my! Triple YES to Chuno! He was absolutely amazing in that drama. As awesome as he was here in FTLY, I think Chuno was still his best performance yet.

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Beezus

February 19, 2015 at 5:18 PM

You ask about "Innocent Thing" - I watched it (English subbed) at fastdrama.com last night.

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nomad

September 6, 2014 at 7:32 AM

Awww, Panda…you melt me...

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panda

September 6, 2014 at 10:49 AM

kisses....

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sweetcaroline

September 6, 2014 at 9:12 AM

panda, thank you for walking us down the memory lane of our FTLY journey. you narrated it with so much passion.

thanks to heads and gummi, and to all who shared their love and angst -- it made a difference from just really watching it all by yourself.

i am happy i got my happy ever after ending.

bye for now...till we meet again.

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panda

September 6, 2014 at 10:56 AM

aww, sweetcaroline thanks so much.
Isn't it amazing how much this show affected us?

It's really been a pleasure watching and ESPECIALLY coming here to Dramabeans to spazz/argue/moan about it with everyone

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dukdam

September 6, 2014 at 9:32 AM

Panda,

Have been waiting for this recap so that I could share all the feels, but you have said everything I wished to say so well, with so much heart and so much love.

I loved everything about this drama, warts and all.. which is what true love is all about.

I loved how all the characters were just so decent, even with their flaws.

I loved the cuteness and quirkiness and humor of Part I.

I loved the angst of Part II which I could totally understand. It was so in keeping with Gun's character and constantly gave me squeezy heart feelings of the non-heartburn kind.

I loved the calm acceptance of Part III... of the things that may have happened in the past but were now acknowledged and, if not forgiven, at least understood, and of the things that may come to be in the future but were no longer going to be worried about as life should be lived and enjoyed in the 'now'.

And to all you commentators who gushed and squeed and bawled over all the feels that this drama gave us, I adore you all.

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panda

September 6, 2014 at 12:13 PM

thanks so much dukdam, this show gave me the feels in spades and i know it did for you too :)

Boxed-In left a comment up in the thread which further states why we all fell in love with it.

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EPYC

September 7, 2014 at 1:36 AM

Word, Panda!

It's the HEART department - and the two Jangs - that set FTLY apart from others. Easily one of my top 5 favourite Kdramas of all time.

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Lizzy

September 8, 2014 at 2:06 PM

Panda, wow I TOTALLY resonate with your comments. Funny, I too did not know who Jang Hyuk was and I too was a fan of Dokko Jin (my all time favorite till FTLY, now both of them). I also fell in love with FTLY in the second episode when he came to MY's room with her shoes. That was it, I was a goner.

To share my perspective and add to what you said [sorry for ramble]:

1. Thank you to HeadsNo2 and Gummi for the recaps. I always enjoy reading your commentary and these comments from everyone :-).

2. I disagree a bit about HN2's comment about wasting the 3 years gap, because it was MY who hit the play. In my perspective, three years was not wasted and it does make sense why she is the one to press play:

-First, "post-it" girl becoming "crazy-glue" and I felt that three years in Paris she became her own person, she is successful artist and she stood her ground well. If she had stayed with LG after the loss of their child, I don't think she would have transform as easily. It made her a tougher more independent person, a partner instead of a tag-along but still keeping her sweetness. (Jang Nara was brilliant in balancing this).

-Second, LG's illness actually make it really difficult for him to seek out MY, because it is a debilitating illness and I think even in real life this type of situation, you tend to try to spare your love ones. I think without Dr. Octopus changing the diagnosis, LG could not have gone after MY. Because the writer chose to keep the illness but say it was asymptomatic, it make more sense that MY be the one to hit play.

-Third, MY being the one to confront LG also went a long way to show that she has grown and become this tough person. I think also, MY from 3 years ago would have stayed because she is too nice and can't say no, but I felt with the transformation MY and her decision was based on not because she is nice, but because she is in love with LG.

-I really liked how MY started her own business and honeymoon discussion in the convertible, shows that she is no pushover.

3. I loved that they focus on the OTP in the last few episodes and gave us this happy moments. I too hate when writers decide to resolve everything in the last episode and we get 10 min of happy couple. This series was AWESOME.

4. Also, loved the focus on LG and MY's mom's relationship. I really enjoy that and was happy that the last episodes wasn't so focus on Se Ra and Daniel. While that story may have been interesting to those who saw TW or others, personally I am really happy the show focused on OTP.

5. Lastly, wow JH is so freakin HOT I am so glad I watched this series. His voice also rocks...drool bucket please :-)

Lastly, any suggestions for fill the gap after this week? I don't think I will be into My Spring Days, OTP looks like father and daughter.

@Panda, Also from all the other JH shows you watched, how do you rate them in 1-5? I been looking at them too, and...

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Cazorlaesque

September 6, 2014 at 5:09 AM

Ah, panda. I've been waiting for the recap to be posted so I can pour my heart out, but you beat me to it (This isn't the 1st time we share the same POV, now that I think of it).

I think Fated has done everything right, from the puppy love in act I, to the painful angst in Act II, to the heartwarming finale.

Unlike lots of viewers out there, I've never had any complaints about Gunnie's "noble idiocy". Everything made sense and was in harmony with the characters' personalities. The angst was beautifully portrayed, and it was SUPPOSED to last long because that's how angst works. You have a disease, a dead baby, two broken hearts and second leads interference .. That's serious stuff ! Also, if you end up crying for 6 episodes in a row, then I guess the angst is working.

This drama has explored many horizons at once, which is not something the audience is usually comfortable with. Fated is in a league of its own. If it failed to meet your expectations, it's because IT HAD DIFFERENT GOALS.

So yeah, Fated IS perfect, as far as I'm concerned. It's flawed and crazy and peculiar, but it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

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panda

September 6, 2014 at 5:29 AM

@noble-ood, you can still pour your heart out. I just had this compulsion to write what i felt watching this show.
It hooked me and has not released me from its clutches. lol

I remember we were amongst the few that didn't complain too much about the angst period. That time esp with scenes on KD broke my heart, i shed more tears on this romcom than on any other drama i have watched.

I hope we meet soon again on another great drama to spazz about!!!!

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Cazorlaesque

September 6, 2014 at 6:34 AM

We shall remember this one for years to come. I'm happy I got to experience this amazing drama with you guys, and knowing I wasn't the only one squeeing and crying and laughing behind a laptop screen made it even better.

Thank you, I look forward to meeting you on the next great thing !

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Cazorlaesque

September 6, 2014 at 7:09 AM

Oh and, if you have a twitter account (or FB or whatever), I'd like to keep in touch !

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panda

September 6, 2014 at 11:11 AM

i had been waffling about having a twitter account because i didnt want it interfering with my studies.
I just took thee plunge though, its @drama_panda.

See you there!

nonski ⭐️A forever JIN who crash landed on Hyun Bins heart❤️!

September 6, 2014 at 8:01 AM

hello, sorry to butt-in your convo but i just want to say i really like your thoughts on FTLY. i love this drama so much, it just jumped to no. 1 in my all-time favorite list. everything you said about angst and fillers, i wholeheartedly agree. i thought that Act 2 was entirely sensible and Act 3 gave us a whole lot of perspective on the life after their recon, it did not left us guessing about the snail couple's like unlike on any other dramas out there. i think that this is an amazing show and i will miss FTLY for a long time because shows like this do not come so often and it is a treasure to keep. i do not comment here often cuz i am mostly at soompi but reading your post is so heartwarming. btw. you write beautifully, so no worries.

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panda

September 6, 2014 at 9:01 AM

Thanks so much nonski, i am really touched :)
FTLY moved me so much and i know it did so many other people.

It had the wacky hilarious aspects, and the beautiful quieter scenes that melted my heart........

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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

September 6, 2014 at 10:20 AM

This is incredibly touching, and a perfect farewell to a show that can easily stand as not only one of the best of the year, but one of my favourite recap-commenting-reading experiences as a fan, even if I didn't comment as much as usual. (apart from that brief time when people kept spoiling from the Taiwan version in the beginning, until it became apparent that Korean FTLY was its own story)

Some of us may have complained about what we saw as imperfections and the drama floundering with a few too many episodes of angst in the middle, but it was only done out of love - though you are right that FTLY had heart, a mighty heart indeed. There are other dramas that I'm really enjoying right now, but there is something about this one that is sending it straight into the category of all-time favourites for many, many of us.

It's not often that one falls unexpectedly in love with a show, and despite everything that SHOULD have put us off - the terrible early relationship between the otp in the Taiwanese original, an over-the-top-hero with crazy hair and a crazier laugh, what sounded like a doormat heroine.....to find all those things changed in ways that made these people and that relationship the best of what they could be, was delightful.

(I'm already missing Gunnie's laugh!)

re: Jang Hyuk btw, you could also check out his movie Windstruck with Jun Ji-hyun, that was one of his star-making roles. And Jang Nara in School 2013 (though the heart and soul of that show belongs to two members of the cast who play her students, she is still fantastic as their teacher)

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panda

September 6, 2014 at 12:20 PM

Pogo, i already miss everything
Watching again and again though. Lol

Windstruck is on my list particularly as its on Netflix

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15 corgi

September 6, 2014 at 4:27 AM

Thanks for the recaps!

This drama started quite slow for me but in the end I was very engrossed. I hope the Jjangs work together again in the future, I liked them ever since SSOBG and they have insane chemistry.

Totally loved this finale! That hand game went way diritier in my mind! XD and I never realized how hot Jang Hyuk is after this drama he's such a DILF! and Daniel and Sera has some serious non-sibling chemistry esp. during their last scene.

I'm going to miss this drama. Withdrawal is starting.

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16 Boxed-In

September 6, 2014 at 4:28 AM

Reading this made me equally happy and sad.

Thank you, Heads, for writing a recap (Ep. 6, to be precise) which got me watching this show in the first place. I suspect it will be special to me for a long, long time, with all its insanity and smiles and tears and yes, even the big glaring flaws. All of it.

I love FTLY.

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Kinare

September 6, 2014 at 4:34 AM

For me, it was gummi's Ep 7 Recap. When I saw that hug picture coupled with "How do I love thee, Fated To Love You? Let me count the ways."

It made me start watching and I was hooked ever since.

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Boxed-In

September 6, 2014 at 5:05 AM

All these recaps are such good reads, really. They echoed with optimism throughout, which was so in line with the message the show itself was trying to send. & without them, I'd never have discovered all the cultural references, the meta jokes that FTLY depended on so much for its fun-factor. And the fantastic translations of some of those key moments where the subs didn't quite capture the meaning. All in all, I can safely say that without the DB recaps, I wouldn't have enjoyed FTLY half as much as I did. Don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but that's how it was for me. Watch episode-read recap-rewatch. Rinse. Repeat. Hehe.

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17 yeri

September 6, 2014 at 4:30 AM

I loved everything about this drama especially the OST...My Top 3:

1 - Ready For Love (whenever I hear it, it makes me feel giddy inside)
2 - Like A Goodbye Moment (this makes me tear up but Ailee's singing is amazing
3 - Morning of Canon / You're Like Fate / Be The One (it's hard to choose just one, lol)

What about you guys?

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bjharm

September 6, 2014 at 4:46 AM

did you notice they used Jang Nara's old cover of 'Snail' right at the end of the episode, frankly it is a wonder they held off using it that long, the way the drama loved to play inhouse jokes and puns on the two leads past dramas and songs through out its run.

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jhu

September 6, 2014 at 11:43 AM

I did! I did!

When I found out about that, I squeeeeeeled. Then I went wild on Youtube, and found Jang Nara singing it live from 2005! So the snail reference was also a meta. Maybe you guys had already figured it out earlier or it was mentioned in an earlier recap. Must have missed it!

It was such a perfect way to end. PERFECT!

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Boxed-In

September 6, 2014 at 11:55 AM

Actually the 'snail' thing was in the Taiwanese original as well, except it was used...differently. This new-and-improved Korean version just ran away with it and took it to greater, dizzy heights. & now it seems like a meta-reference fell into place as well. Fate, heh.

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panda

September 6, 2014 at 12:22 PM

I loved it. Jang Nara is so talented.
She also sang in one of my favorite OSTs - Dong Yi

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dukdam

September 6, 2014 at 6:37 PM

The other meta of the 'Snail' song is that the original was written and sung by Lee Juk who is a brother of the main PD of FTLY and appeared in TvN's 'Flowers over Youth' - the one in the ugly green jacket.

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cingdoc

September 7, 2014 at 7:41 AM

Wow, things that I would NOT have known .... You guys are the BEST fans( I really need to leave my cave more often ;)

18 tebz10

September 6, 2014 at 4:32 AM

*sniff* I'm gonna miss this couple. Now, off to rewatch the series :)

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19 trotwood

September 6, 2014 at 4:33 AM

I am already missing all these characters. I really liked them. I want to spend more time with them. I want to get those rambling, bragging, holiday letters from them very year. I want to watch them go grocery shopping and become facebook friends with them. I like and dislike a lot of shows, but I very rarely want to know a whole group of people in real life. This is what FTLY did for me.

I would like to call this the Tale of Two Jangs. They were both so good in this show that I cannot really describe their essence. They elevated what could have been a stereotypical rom-com and gave their characters the kind of depth that should earn everyone's respect even if thy did not like the show itself.

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teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 5:34 AM

The Dance of Two Jjangs! I am literally left agape with awe at their synergy. I mean, take away the context/acting, I wouldn't be jumping to say they look good together; in fact I think JNR looks better with the bigger boys, D. Choi and D. Pitt (lololol, nevah gonna get over that stupid name) so it was all down to their acting brilliance that I now only see them as a perfect pair.

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20 peng

September 6, 2014 at 4:37 AM

"he stubbornly tries to enter what should be Room 2006, but which has now been labeled Room 2009 by the Spy Duo." Did this happen? Haha cos I remember room 2006 having a black door when Geon and Miyoung were checking the sign and the 2006 that Geon entered also had the same black door. I think Geon was really drunk and really saw the 2009 as 2006 no? Correct me if I'm wrong and yes I'd really miss this show T_T

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panda

September 6, 2014 at 4:42 AM

Yes, he was really drunk and mistook 2009 for his room instead of 2006. The 2 guys then corrected him and steered him to the correct room. That's when he saw their faces, although it didn't click till he was sober the next morning

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21 RRR

September 6, 2014 at 4:40 AM

Aww, I love that you used the same picture twice for the top and bottom sections. The wedding scene was so sweet.

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22 Snail couple manse~

September 6, 2014 at 4:45 AM

Annyeong, snail couple and now, snail royalty~ lol

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Gunnie ♡ Miyoung

September 6, 2014 at 4:49 AM

Snail couple had snail twins ♡♡

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23 teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 4:46 AM

Might be blasphemy to some, but I actually do think the Jjangs had superior onscreen chemistry (offscreen is another story though) than the pair in TMS, the last modern romcom I completed. And this is coming from a self-professed GHJ fangirl... who BTW is now nursing crushes on both Jjangs. (I have always had a vague appreciation for both but FtLY has certainly brought them to the forefront of my attention.)

FtLY wasn't anything ambitious, cerebral or innovative but the two Jjangs meshed together like popcorn and movies - it was really a matchmade in heaven acting-wise, what with their very similar precise and yet intuitive approach to fleshing out their characters, and boy it was such, such a treat to watch (and listen). What a brillant tango of talent!

Fatefully (?), I only gave this a shot because I recalled watching Bright Girl eons ago and very much enjoying it despite its silly storyline. I recently rewatched it in between waiting for ep 17/18 and was glad to find it still relatively watchable, even though both were still newbies then.

I sincerely hope to see them grace the screen together again, because well, wouldn't it be selfish not to share the crackling fireworks? (Now I kinda also want to see JNR paired up with SJS. HMM.)

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teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 4:49 AM

*Had superior onscreen chemistry... to the pair

Commenting here via smart phones is a big no no.

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tee

September 6, 2014 at 9:03 AM

I agree. As much as i loved the TMS couple's chemistry, the JJangs definitely had a vastly superior one.

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teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 10:02 AM

Hi tee, you must be my other half! (LOL, sorry can't help it.)

Not a popular opinion, but I've always personally felt TMS' couple had much more chemistry off-screen than on-screen, and I suspect the former had a thing or two with helping blur the lines between both? :P Plus, they looked absolutely lovely together, purely from a visual perspective. And still I find the Jjangs the more outstanding of the pair. They do have impeccable teamwork and on equal footwork in terms of vision/talent/intuition et al.

OOOOO, I'm a big fan of DKJ too! However, in FtLY's case, I can't seem to crave LG like how I did DKJ (even though the latter was comparatively one dimensional) because... I like LG+KMY as a pair, lol. Which speaks volumes since I almost always prefer one half of the OTP over the other. DKJ in TGL, TGS in TMS, HS in IHYV, JNR's character in BFB, JWS's character in Padam2 for e.g.

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tee

September 6, 2014 at 12:27 PM

lmaooooo. So true, guess we have to look for my latter half right? That would be great indeed particularly as i am currently single and ready to mingle.

Okay, before i get off-topic too much, Its true that TMS stars had outstanding Off-screen chemistry. Their on-screen chemistry was also good except i personally didnt get many smoochies from them.
I do feel though that both Off-screen and On-screen, the snail couple had more chemistry. I mean, i watched some BTS and forgot JH was married!!! They really shined and sparkled together.

And true, though i love LG, i LOOOVE DKJ!! He's my all-time bias.

bjharm

September 6, 2014 at 4:50 AM

I said before when people dump on the comdey/romances and the way they alway cover the same theme, that it up the the actors making the drama to make it work, even if it has been done 100 times before, that why they called "actors", not just people saying the lines. With the Jangs you get a perfect example of how good acting can lift a drama to something unforgetable.

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teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 5:05 AM

Ikr. Obviously, their bigger, more prominent interactions are part of a construct carefully thought+out and rehearsed during the dry runs but there were many many times where I personally felt intuition came to play in those very small and invisible instances and that makes alllll the difference. More prominently on JH's part. Not to say JNR's lacking in any way because I am actually slightly more impressed with her acting given what she did with her doormat+sorta role. Just very slightly though.

They were made to work very well together, seriously. I haven't watched a lot of romcoms (TGL being my favourite) but I haven't seen such seamless synergy before between two leads! Not even in their previous work, lol.

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viewer

September 6, 2014 at 6:45 AM

I agree. I'm not gushing over Jang Hyuk perhaps because even though I appreciate how his character's um... loudness(?) contributed to the comedic parts, I found his portrayal a little disturbing at times (I apologize to the fangirls). Jang Nara was, well, more comfortable to watch. It's difficult to imagine how 12 years ago she must have been bashed for being an idol and still securing lead roles (like how it still is today for people like IU, Suzy...). She's really come a long way right?

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teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 6:57 AM

The OTT moments I blame it mostly on the direction (I mean, the whole freezing and melting powers flew way over my head. Were those necessary?)

Haha, I appreciate LG for in all his glorious bipolar-ness. And I like JH's 200% commitment to it, because not once, did he slip out of character. IMO, it was at times veering on the territory of over-acting and over-shouting but man, the commitment. But it was still believable that LG was being LG, rather than JH being OTT, so why not right, haha!

However, given JNR's comparatively lack of material to work with (because KMY could have soooo easily been dismissed in less competent hands), she really did an A+++++ job with it. Of course, it wouldn't have been as great without JH (and vice versa).

tee

September 6, 2014 at 9:05 AM

MY is the kind of character i would usually hate but JNR made it work. I loved her in the role.
Lee Gun just had my particular kind of madness. LOL. I loved him the same way i loved that CSW in TGL

anyway

September 6, 2014 at 6:37 AM

JNR with SJS? That could be interesting...

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teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 6:48 AM

IKR.

It's really because the last romcom I caught was TMS, which then lead me to thinking about how it could have been if the actors and actresses were swopped. Some permutations could work I guess. And then I thought, why not JNR and SJS? I guess I would be interested to see that pairing. Odds though it ain't happen.

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nomad

September 6, 2014 at 7:31 AM

ok, my stupid question…what's TMS?

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teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 7:35 AM

The Master's Sun or MS. But the 'T' just adds that extra oomph, doesn't it? http://asianwiki.com/The_Master's_Sun

24 jasmine

September 6, 2014 at 4:50 AM

thanks!!

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25 Gunnie ♡ Miyoung

September 6, 2014 at 4:52 AM

For those who have watched the original T version, do you still recommend it? I love this version and I'm hoping the T ver. is still worth the watch.

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Emmy

September 6, 2014 at 5:39 AM

I watched the beginning of the TW version, and my answer would be a no. The premise is the same, but the main and side characters here are more wonderfully sketched out and with much more depth than the TW version.

I loved Gun for his kindness and whackiness, but didn't find any redeeming qualities in the TW equivalent, whom I felt was simply cruel to the heroine.

I loved Mi-Young for not being like a pushover, for being kind and gentle, but standing firm in things she knew to be important. In contrast, I felt the TW heroine was lacking backbone, and I never really liked her either.

I really enjoyed this K-drama for what it was. Though it was snail-paced at the very end, the first half was THE DRAMA that all romcom K-dramas should aspire to be.

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Car

September 7, 2014 at 8:33 PM

I disagree with the comment above, the Taiwanese version, although much older, was way more entertaining than the Korean drama. It was funnier and the the guy who plays lee gun does not have that weird laugh. Their separation made more sense, and you can clearly see how the main lead fell in love with "mi young" character. You can see why he chose mi young over se ra. Give the Taiwanese version a chance. I lost interest in this one after the 10th episode and was a great disappointment to me. I only stuck through it because I loved the Taiwanese version so much.

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26 veron

September 6, 2014 at 4:57 AM

I'm used to Heads recapping shows that becomes a giant WTF mess in the end (lookin at you BB and SAF) and sometimes a WTF mess in general (hello! Dr Stranger) so I kind of expected this to be the same, especially when we had the ep 11 and 12 of whiplash, but I'm so glad it didn't. This show exceeded my expectations and it made me a new devoted fan of both Jangs.

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27 Joanna

September 6, 2014 at 5:10 AM

Ready to watch it again, now!

Thanks for the recap. I actually don't think the three years apart are meaningless, though. They both needed time to disengage and come to terms with the anger, confusion, and grief, and there were too many misunderstandings for them to do it together. More important than that, Mi Young had to grow into herself and become as confident and accomplished in her own right as he was successful in his. It's not enough for him to call her Bond Girl for that change to happen. That way, when they meet again, she is not his dependent or someone who needs his lessons. Without that growth, I wouldn't find their reunion as satisfying. When she decides to come to him, she has her own home, her own work, her own reputation instead of being just admitted to his life. In this last episode, their honeymoon is arranged around her schedule. She drives the car; he brags about her success. And he has to learn more about his father's story and their relationship, not just have a clean brain scan, for him to really understand what his actions have meant to her.

I had also not seen anything with Jang Nara or Jang Hyuk before, so I went off watched School 2013 and Chuno. Lord, Chuno, talk ab

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Joanna

September 6, 2014 at 5:11 AM

....talk about crying!
[finished my sentence, there]

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sgpgirl

September 6, 2014 at 6:16 AM

I thought you wrote "Lord, Chuno, talk abs" ...which would have been appropriate, too :)

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ping

September 6, 2014 at 6:57 AM

Ha! I also thought it was 'abs' too.

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panda

September 6, 2014 at 9:06 AM

Utterly appropriate. Those abs were everything.

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teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 6:26 AM

Have you caught SSofBG? Not too bad actually - I enjoyed it for what it's worth. JNR and DC were also pretty good in that rom-com they did even though I FF-ed a lot towards the later half :D Not as good as the Jjangs but definitely above mediocre.

Unfortunately, both School 2013 and Chuno aren't my type of series BUT I might try the latter since it's JH's opus magnum from what I've read. And cos' shirts or rather, the lack of.

@sgpgirl LOL, you weren't the only one!

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sgpgirl

September 6, 2014 at 6:36 AM

@teepot, please do give Chuno a shot! JH was ABSolutely wonderful in it! But seriously he didn't win that Daesang for nothing. I will remember Dae-gil for a long time to come.

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teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 7:00 AM

But historical pieces... D:

I will, I will. But first I wanna catch Tazza or Midas. Any idea which is better?

I guess since I will be catching Chuno, I have to be fair and watch School 2013 as well then, lol.

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sgpgirl

September 6, 2014 at 7:54 AM

There's a certain charm to historical pieces - so I do enjoy them. Chuno is beautifully filmed too, it's more like a movie than a TV drama.

I haven't watched Tazza or Midas yet - I think it's because I'm not sure how much I'll like him with those leading ladies. I'm also a little afraid of watching IRIS 2 although I promised myself to go through all his works!

teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 8:20 AM

I'm allergic to them BUT I really almost caught Chuno. Chose to settle for Thank You instead, of which I'm 3/4 in? I like Thank You but it's really just too slow for me.

I keep mixing both Tazza and Midas up so I guess that's a sign I shouldn't watch them in succession.

Iris 2 is a big no. Going to skip that - I tried Athena for CSW and I didn't last past 3 eps and Iris 2 looks set to be of the same old same old.

I'm crossing my fingers JNR will concentrate her efforts in Korea from now on because like LG, I really want more of her. Her Chinese filmo doesn't appeal to me which really leaves me with School 2013 and Wedding.

KDaddict

September 6, 2014 at 8:39 AM

Midas was such a weak show on acct of the script. I watched it to the end for JY and KHA. It was a pain after about 3 weeks.
Chuno is great. But School 2013 didn't showcase JN's talents very well. It did so for the 2 young actors for sure.

anopinion

September 6, 2014 at 8:51 AM

There's still Baby-faced Beauty. School 2013 is entertaining as well. I'm not planning to watch Chuno because it's too long for me and I'm not a fan of sageuks, nor Lee Dahae (sorry...) for that matter.

28 Altari

September 6, 2014 at 5:11 AM

This recap was a lovely way to end a truly enjoyable drama watching experience.
I did not like the angst when it happened but in hind sight it makes this happy ending all the more sweeter.
MY looked absolutely gorgeous in her wedding dress.
I laughed too much over the hand-catching parody.
In real life they would have been pounding the ddeok the minute they stepped in the hotel room (Gunnie has been suffering from blue balls for how long now?) but well this is Kdrama land...
I wish they had done the Sera/Daniel thing a little better or left it out entirely. It felt like it was written in a rush which I don't think was fair to the actors.

I miss the snail couple already. Especially since nothing on the drama horizon catches my interest at all.
*Goes BTS hunting on Youtube.

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29 Aigoooo

September 6, 2014 at 5:12 AM

I will really miss FTLY. It fulfilled all the requirements for a great rom-com.. Top notch Chemistry, great acting, good story, and an awesome OST. I swear I can't listen to Ailee's "Goodbye My Love" without getting all choked up. The Jang's really brought their A-game and I hope they wrack up all the awards. Good thing I am totally hooked on "Plus 9 Boys" because I definitely lost one of the best crack dramas this year. Thanks Heads and Gummi for the recaps!

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panda

September 7, 2014 at 5:30 AM

I had planned to delete Ailee's song from my ipod if he had died.

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Boxed-In

September 7, 2014 at 7:19 AM

LOLOL.

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panda

September 7, 2014 at 12:35 PM

LOL, seriously it would have hurt to much to listen to

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30 teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 5:15 AM

Oh, and I actually like the fluff/fillers. In fact, I dare say there isn't enough in most non-cable rom coms - anyone agrees? Because more fluff = more kissy kissy (ah, there were actually plenty of authentic ones in FtLY. I was actually pleasantly surprised to see two bed scenes in the last ep!)

I am superficial, I know D:

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sgpgirl

September 6, 2014 at 6:26 AM

I love that we got so many kissy scenes! They must be more comfortable as I thought they seemed to be getting better at the kissing!

I was surprised though that Macau 2.0 was only the 2nd time they slept together - what about all that time at Ji Yeon's place? And the part where MY said that the sun hadn't set yet...especially after the way he just looked at her? If I were MY I would have jumped his bones right after that press con in episode 18.

Commenting all over the place here today - can't help it - just love this show too much and need to prolong all the FTLY love.

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teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 6:38 AM

The kissing scenes were AT THE VERY LEAST reflective of their ages, no? I was getting tired of terrible kisses - good, authentic kisses are STILL part and parcel of acting (according to me because I insist).

Yeah, didn't they zoom into the pair of wooden ducks for innuendo? Was I reading things wrong? Speaking of bone-jumping, to be FAIR, MBC probably wouldn't have allowed it. I bet in an alternative world with liberal Korean TV stations, MY would have been jumping bones. But much props to the refreshing display of male sexual desire - if it was JH's improvisation, much props.

HAHA, I actually haven't watched the last ep with subs (raw only but I mean, not really that necessary with the recaps and reviews floating on the Internet) in a bid to prolong the series before the end-of-days :D Soon though, soon.

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teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 6:43 AM

Oops, more on the kissing *ahem*, thank god for the open display of affection aka kisses on other parts of the body. I really liked the car one, for instance. And the air kiss JNR gave. What else am I missing?

(LOL, the award for best almost kiss goes to JH. I CANNOT get over his silly facial expressions + that KISS song. CANNOT.)

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sgpgirl

September 6, 2014 at 6:58 AM

Oh i loved the car one! And the kisses on her neck at bed scene #3....just seemed very sweet...and real. And if I had to go on...the ramyun kiss. But I think even more than the kisses, my knees kept buckling at all those intense looks he kept shooting MY throughout the series.

The almost kiss? Was that the one at the studio just before Secretary Tak busted in? I think I actually had to look away - it was just too ridiculous....LOL

teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 7:07 AM

I like the ramyun one too! It was strangely, very sensual. I can't remember exact intense looks of his (too many) but those coupled with comedy/frank display of sexual desire, lawl, were just gold.

YES. The stupid thing he did with his mouth, LAWL. I was expecting it to be sweet but it just veered into the realm of ridiculous.

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sgpgirl

September 6, 2014 at 7:43 AM

I like that they were totally upfront about his desire for her - 'cos he's a hot blooded man dammit. The morning after Macau 2.0 - I felt sorry for LG but at the same time I was laughing too hard... His look of dismay when he said he been waiting soooo long with so much expectation!

Re: the almost kiss - I tried to rewatch but my eyes wouldn't let me...my eyeballs kept averting each time he went near her. I just...couldn't.

teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 7:52 AM

YES. If Korean scriptwriters could fit amnesia into every possible nook and cranny in dramaland, why not sexual desire? HAHA.

(All three dramas that I have enjoyed in 2013 and 2014 had amnesia, argh. Two with adults-in-their-30s pairings. Only one with authentic physical intimacy, no prizes for guessing which.)

31 kanz

September 6, 2014 at 5:22 AM

Fated is by no means a perfect drama. But I LOVE it!!
I always wait for it week in week out, knowing that it will bring cuteness and laughter to me.
What I love so much:
1. Two Jangs aka Jjang Couple aka Snail Couple
They really Jjang!! It will be different story, esp without Jang Hyuk as Lee Gun
2. Lee Gun
As character, although has noble idiocy moments but he wins me over. I rename this drama sometimes Fated To Love Gun
3. OSTs
The OSTs are perfect!! I really like "You're Like Fate" and "Morning of Canon" I could listen to them everyday,
4. Wacky supporting casts
Secretary Tak, Yong, Mi Young's family, grandmother, etc. Snail Couple wouldn't be the same without them.

I'll always remember the good parts from this drama. Thank you Fated! You're so addicted!

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32 miszdi

September 6, 2014 at 5:31 AM

Thanks for the recap^^ I'm so satisfied the ending. Everything went well.

I love the show so much that I think it will be my kdrama of the year. The last time I fell in love with a romcom was Secret Garden. It's been a while, yes. Reply 1997 & FBND were good enough but I wasnt that in love. My dramas of the year from 2011-2013 werent romcom at all.

I wasnt expecting that much from this show either when casting news had begun. The reunion drama of the Jangs, that's just it. Although Success Story was my first kdrama ever, I kinda forgot the show's story coz it's been ages ago^^. And I've only seen Jang Hyuk in Windstruck, and yeah, thrice, coz I love it. And I find Jang Nara endearing in School 2013. And that I've seen the original, I said I'll just give it a try.

I love the show with all it's flaws and just everything. (There's no such thing as perfect drama anyway. Or that so called perfect can bore me sometimes.) What sets it apart from the Tversion is the "feels". The awesome chemistry from our OTP and great supporting cast as well. It is far better from the original, storywise also. Throughout the show, I kinda forget that it's a remake, and stopped the comparison.

I will miss FTLY. Rewatch gonna happen soon.
And since I'm not that much interested in any upcoming drama, might find time to watch the Jangs older dramas.

And again, thank you drama gods for my new favorite drama & OTP. And my new oppajussi crush and my favorite actress as well :)

Hamo hamo^^

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33 AJ

September 6, 2014 at 5:40 AM

I know I am in the very teeny tiny minority here, but I just gave up on this show because the script drove me nuts veering between melodramatic angst and sticky-sweet cuteness. I hung in for 19 episodes solely because of the Jangs, but then I was done. Could not muster the interest to watch more contrived cuteness.

Reading the recap (thanks -- as ever, well-done) I just don't get the excitement about giving birth to twins in a story that relied on a genetic disease component to create all the pointless angst in this story.

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teepot.

September 6, 2014 at 6:00 AM

Haha, I think I mentally checked out in ep 17 (my least favourite ep). The angst and genetic disease I too don't enjoy but at the very least could tolerate (and appreciate in its authentic emoting), mostly because I wanted to get to the contrived sweetness, HAHA. I actually liked how abash FtLY was in trumping its cute fluffy brainless smooching moments because honestly, I was kinda sick of romcoms tying their stuff in the last episode with three mins left for smoochy downtime. No can do!

I agree with the whole twins thing though since genetics, people! and would have been perfectly fine with it if the show left it completely out or at worse, just vaguely hinting at a maybe-pregnancy (both of them conjointly having symptoms of morning sickness for eg). They really shot themselves in the foot with the whole HD plotline because it ain't realistic happiness with kids :( Oh wells, a small dent in an otherwise pretty good romcom.

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jhu

September 6, 2014 at 12:05 PM

small, but needless. that's what hurts more. will always be baffled at their choice of illness/conflict. made the storyline completely WOBBLY in my opinion.

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34 john

September 6, 2014 at 5:40 AM

HeadsNo2 & gummimochi ~

Thanks for the recaps.

Hats off to The Two Jangs. It's obvious that those two have a good chemistry and had fun while filming.

Thank you for bringing us such a lovely show!

I loved the Joseon era honeymoon scene.

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35 acgmac

September 6, 2014 at 5:41 AM

Thanks FTLY for allowing me to experience again the highs of K-drama watching! I laughed. I cried! I felt giddiness and anticipation! Thank you for the awesome onscreen chemistry and excellent acting by everyone: the Jangs, Sec. Tak, Grandma Wang, MY Omma, Dragon and Daniel! Thanks to the PD and the writer for a wonderful, heartfelt, poignant and fun 10 weeks. I hope to see another Jang Hyuk (whom I have liked since Thank You) and Jang Nara in the future and hopefully a drama with Choi Jin Hyuk and wang Ji Won in the lead because they have an amazing chemistry there worthy of an OTP.
And thank you to gummi and heads for the wonderful recaps!

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36 kDkiddo

September 6, 2014 at 5:52 AM

This is maybe the damn BEST finale ive ever watched thanks snail couple

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37 ping

September 6, 2014 at 5:55 AM

Thanks HeadsNo2 but where's gummimochi?

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38 D

September 6, 2014 at 5:59 AM

Thanks for all the recaps..

I was LOL when i realized Ji-yeon father is Chairman Moon in that weekend drama with Nam Jihyun, and his first love is Dragon's mother..

Drama is not perfect but has a lot of heart.. thanks to the Jangs.. i have to say, i love this OTP reunion the best..

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39 KDaddict

September 6, 2014 at 6:02 AM

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the art work. Now I know who Youk Shin Won is. The 2nd half of the show is a huge PPL for her paintings and products, including handbags and suitcases. Wonder how much she paid for the show to feature her paintings and products so prominently and repeatedly. All that repetition leaves me wondering what the artist really looks like. LOL.

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john

September 6, 2014 at 6:19 AM

KDaddict ~

I think this is her.

here

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KDaddict

September 6, 2014 at 8:25 AM

Thanks John. I googled but didn't find a pic of her. Talented girl and Cute too!

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osmanthustea

September 7, 2014 at 1:16 AM

thanks you both for that info!

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Aigoooo

September 6, 2014 at 6:39 AM

That and the PPL for the Robot Vacuum Cleaner.

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KDaddict

September 6, 2014 at 8:34 AM

I actually like PPL. I like knowing what new products they have in SK. I bought a Robot Vacuum Cleaner after seeing it in a couple K dramas, after M's Sun, n I love it.

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sgpgirl

September 6, 2014 at 6:40 AM

It worked. I'm now the proud owner of a Youk Shin Won ("Ellie Kim") cosmetic pouch. OK I'm a sucker for this show!!!

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KDaddict

September 6, 2014 at 8:26 AM

I'd buy one too, given the opportunity. Not a whole suitcase, but a cosmetic pouch is just right, esp. as a reminder of a sweet show, no?

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sgpgirl

September 6, 2014 at 10:13 AM

I'm so sad the show has ended, and just wanted to keep a part of it with me. I walk past the shop so often I just couldn't resist! (It was like Ellie Kim calling to me)

It's now on my dresser and makes me smile each time I look at it :)

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panda

September 6, 2014 at 9:10 AM

Really? Where did you get it from?

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sgpgirl

September 6, 2014 at 10:07 AM

panda, I bought it from her store in Singapore where I live. This is her site http://youkworld.com/ and they ship worldwide.

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panda

September 6, 2014 at 12:29 PM

Thanks!

KDaddict

September 6, 2014 at 6:15 PM

Thanks for the link. I'd like sth w Keddongie on it. Unfortunately there is only 1 product w that design - a passport cover.

pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉

September 6, 2014 at 10:26 AM

talk about PPL that worked..... I loved her paintings! I've seen quite a few comments asking about the real artist in the recaps, we were all curious. Though Youk Shim Won's name is featured quite prominently in Mi-young's scene when she was deciding on handbag designs etc :)

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Lixie

September 7, 2014 at 7:23 AM

The product placement annoyed me a little. It's not ok for a real artist to let his work get printed into bags, cups and whatnot and show was trying to sell KMY as an artist so I really disliked that.

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40 Ever

September 6, 2014 at 6:14 AM

Amazing drama.

The Jangs have such an awesome onscreen chemistry and that's what makes the drama even more interesting!

I think I'm gonna rewatch it later this year!

So much cuteness, funny moments and of course, heartaches. Can't believe I actually teared up in ep17 with Miyoung when she's watching Gun's videos! (I'm not one to cry while watching dramas, like really. My soft spot is kinship, not so much of romance.)

I really like the ending. It makes me feel like a real ending to a show. Not like those that end right after the final conflict is solved and opt gets together. Don't they deserve more sweetness after all they have been through? It feels much more realistic to me that way to me.

Thank you FTLY.

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41 genmai

September 6, 2014 at 6:33 AM

Thanks for recap! I love the ending. Actually, I love all 20 episode of Fated to love you. I love how Lee Gun and Mi Young end up to live their life happily. This is kdrama that I love the most. So much thanks to writer-nims, PD-nims, Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara, you did a wonderful job!. I think I will never saw this kind of perfect chemistry from other couple since Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara make a perfect job to express Lee Gun and Mi Young feeling! I absolutely have mix emotion, sad and happy along with Lee Gun and Mi Young in all episode and I'm really enjoy. I become fan of Jang Hyuk from this role. Can't wait for his next project. Thanks!

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42 missjb

September 6, 2014 at 7:15 AM

Despite it's flaws, I actually really love this drama.. It's a weird feeling for me.. Knowing the drama it's imperfect and makes me frustated in several parts, but still loving it.. And it's not the first time I have love / hate relationship about a drama but still makes me consider it as my favourite drama. And I think FTLY is one of them for me.. One of the reason is the storyline between the main couple is actually a well written. The writers makes me believe they are actually fated to be together... SO many love story that I actually find poor executed... alot of drama emphasis on the male lead doing all the work to win his OTP. In the first half Gun is the one become a hero, and the 2nd half Mi Young is the one who become his heroine. they are just complement each other.

WHile everyone is still thinking episode 1-8 was great, There is some flaws that makes hurt this show.. during those episode, they didn't established Sera and Daniel storyline properly, didn't gave enough time to build the main conflict around them. I actually think it would be awsome if there is a depth storyline between Sera, Gun, and Mi Young, because I think these love triangle are more interesting to me than Daniel - Gun - Mi Young love triangle storyline... Because Gun and Sera actually were a real couple, and it will makes a different approach and interesting conflict. She has the right to be mad at Gun when she learn the truth. And It's understable if Gun are wavering... Sera's character background are actually interest me... She is refreshing 2nd fmale lead character where she actually love Gun because who really is, she really loves him because she really loves him and his personality and not because of he is rich. And I'm SUre Wang Ji won can pull off a great acting... Just watching her amazing acting despite act with underwhelming character blew me away... She is awsome.. She actually move me more than daniel aka CJH despite Daniel is supposed to be I pitied more.

It will be an awsome narative, what are you truly looking for when you are married? Are you just looking for a woman in your life or also want looking for new family? Because it's clear Gun already invest and enjoying his new family and Mi Young while Sera comes into the picture..

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Aigoooo

September 6, 2014 at 8:47 AM

It's okay though. My all time favorite Rom-com (Coffee Prince) is far from perfect but the OTP chemistry and the emotional ride it gave me made me overlook those imperfections. Technical perfection means squat if I feel indifferent about the characters. It's all about the feels and FTLY (and CP) had that in spades.

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cingdoc

September 6, 2014 at 10:12 PM

@ Aigoooo, me too... LOL, it's funny how our taste is so similar...I watch CP at least 1 , 2 times a year but I always begin at Cup13( hehe, THE Kiss) .... Same thing for Goong, at ep 20?? ( the normal date) ....
Like a person in love, I have blinders on and ignore all the yucky parts and just swooooon.

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panda

September 7, 2014 at 5:32 AM

"Technical perfection means squat if I feel indifferent about the characters."

This! I think that's the issue i have with one of the dramas i just dropped

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43 missjutek

September 6, 2014 at 7:16 AM

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44 Bex

September 6, 2014 at 7:18 AM

I def feel this drama went on too long, so long that I lost my connection with the characters and by the end I kinda just wanted to be done with it and to know that they would get their happy ending. Ia with all your comments and I did like the drama but it's sad because I started out in love with it, it just couldn't last the full final stretch.

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45 jae

September 6, 2014 at 7:48 AM

thank U FTLY..
thank U Headsno2, Gummimochi and Dramabeans..
thank U the Jangs
thank U drama's crews and other actors
thank U all commentators..

maybe this drama is not perfect but it is a very nice and fun journey with all of U..

FTLY is the Jangs !!! ^^

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46 KRISTY

September 6, 2014 at 7:52 AM

Couldn't agree more with you on how Fated reminded us of why we started to love dramas....
It is true during the last episodes the show started to lose its goodness.but because of what it was during and before the half-mark point I couldn't help but stick on till the very end.
Just miss those good old days when they made dramas of 16 episodes,where you dont have to drag out the plot.
Fated did make a Jang Hyuk fan out of me,huehahaha

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47 samsooki

September 6, 2014 at 8:10 AM

Gummi and HN2, thank you so much for giving us a place to share the FTLY experience and to consider, and laugh and cry and snark. I always learn new things when I read your recaps. But more than learning, I enjoy your recaps. So thank you!

Onto the heavy lifting:

DPittJerkboll - the Mr.Data of the USS-KDrama, might have been the most tragic of kdrama characters ever written. How can a character be written without a soul? But even Mr. Data explored the possibility of finding his soul one day and expanded and matured. DPittJerkBoll didnt grow, didnt change, didn't learn, didnt mature....in every other kdrama I have ever watched, there was always some growth in even the minor characters. Didnt hamo hamo guy reduce his oral hamo flatulence from "constant" to just "too often?" Didnt Lawyer Min go from nice to dick to even dickier to disappearing altogether? Didn't KMY's bf go from being poor and prospect-less to being rich and married at the arbitrary stroke of a magic keyboard? Why didn't DPittJerkBoll ever get that same opportunity? I can only surmise that it was because he was an android but not a 4.4.4 kitkat android because the latter gets updates as it were. So long DPittJerkBoll, may you get that emotion chip you have been asking for.

Sera - what a waste. Your actress has the chops to go head to heas against JNR's KMY and you got reduced to being a weasly crying wreck who gets bitch slapped by your mom and that was your highlight. Omg what a waste. Omg what a waste.

What can I say about the drama other than it was great for 10 and messed up for 10.

I love both JNR and JH and I think both deserve all the credit for the good, and none if the credit for the nonsensical writing in the latter half of the series.

I just want to praise the drama but I feel like Ive already done that because to me the drama mostly ended weeks ago.

I still love FTLY, and as with all things we love, we overlook the negative and embrace the positive.

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missjb

September 6, 2014 at 8:48 AM

I know right? God I'm glad I'm not the only one who find Wang Ji Won's character storyline has so much potential. I wish Sera - Gun - Mi Young become the centre of the love triangle storyline.. I'm don't her to become a pure bitchy second female lead like in TW version.. They don't have to be makes her a real bitch to makes an enteresting conflict
Wang Ji WOn has the acting chops to go ahead... Her vulnerable scene is so real to me...

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Boxed-In

September 6, 2014 at 9:02 AM

"...he was an android but not a 4.4.4 kitkat android because the latter gets updates..." ROFL.

He was the constant in a sea of change. Or the lamp-post which the government refuses to change because it looks so perfect and pretty and never ever malfunctions, even though the road in front of it goes from being a mud-track to a highway. I'd actually have appreciated a hint of villainy from D.Pitt-sshi but...fine. We all agree that both the second leads got short shrift in the show, but I really cannot bring myself to feel too sorry about that.

Sometimes I wonder how much better (or worse) FTLY could've been if it had not been a remake compelled to follow the broad outline of the original. Would we have gotten a different post-Episode 10 phase if it had been an original in its own right? How much of our disappointment stems from genuinely bad writing, and how much of it originates from our own unwillingness to watch a painful and prolonged separation happen for whatever reason? Difficult questions to answer.

All the philosophizing aside, I had a very good time watching it, and interacting with all of you here. Loved reading your comments, all the JNR-love and Daniel-trolling included. :D

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jhu

September 6, 2014 at 12:41 PM

Samsooki! When I saw the final minutes of the finale, and saw that the Snail couple had struck gold with twins, I could not help but think of you and your twins!

How did you and Mrs. Samsooki wrap the show up? I think of you as extremely lucky to be able to indulge in Jang Nara worship and watch the show along with the Mrs.

And it's been wonderful reading you. Hope you'll find more shows that bring you back to us.

So with you about Gummi (where'd she disappear though? would have loved to hear her final comments as well...hope they'll still put hers up soon) and Heads giving us their insights and their living space for us to do all kinds of poopy talk about the show.

Lol at your DPitt bashing. It was worth the wait.

Although I might just be willing to forgive Mr Candy Man (yes, I want to roll my tongue over that pink jacket he's wearing in epi 20) because I found my official Least Favourite Character in the show. Rolling nothing but my eyes at you Doctor Octopus.

"You haven't shown any symptoms for the last 3 years, so you should feel free to live the rest of your life disease free." I mean really? Is that all you're going to give me in the name of resolution?

Whyyyy did he have to EXIST in the story in the first place if that's what he had to offer? And then he has the audacity to hit on the greatest mom in the world? And then he gets to date her too?!

Please somebody dunk him in a bucket of squid ink. Please...

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samsooki

September 6, 2014 at 1:00 PM

Mrs. Samsooki and I watched in silence mostly.

Then when KMY showed an ultrasound of twins, Mrs. Samsooki said, "whelp, there goes your body." And then a few years later when it appeared that KMY's body didn't change at all, Mrs. Samsooki coughed and said something inaudible.

I was sad throughout most of the finale. It was trite, filled with empty words and saccharine moments.

But I was most sad for Sera's character. She was SO freaking kickass in the beginning - so.... cool? is that the right word?, and then she was turned into an evil bitch then into a sad bitch then into... nothing.

And what about the moms? Both rocked throughout the series, but in this last episode? What were they? What was the point?

I just didn't get it.

I don't want to be negative so let me just say that I enjoyed parts, didn't enjoy parts, but I loved JNR and JH, both apart and together.

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Panda

September 6, 2014 at 5:44 PM

Aww, it hurts that the finale left with you with such sadness Samsooki. but I can understand why it might have.
I just wanted a happy ending ANY way possible so was over the moon when I got it. Such happy endings rarely occur in real life so I wanted it in reel life.

I am glad however that this show brought you back to the db posts. As I said earlier, I greatly greatly enjoyed reading your City Hall recaps when I saw it earlier in the year.
It's been a pleasure reading and interacting with you.
Love to Mrs Samsooki and the kids. 3 kids under the age of 5!!!! You guys are indeed super. I have just one son who is 4 and it ain't easy. Lol.

Do take care.

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Cazorlaesque

September 7, 2014 at 8:10 AM

Panda, you have a son :o :o ? And you still study ? Wow ! I'm at my senior year of college and the only kid I'm trying to raise properly is myself ..

Samsooki, your insight is always brilliant to read. I do agree with you on The Sorry Case of Sera & Daniel (Mr. Data of USS-KDrama, I'm dead xD ) .. They could've been so much more. Instead, Sera lost everything including herself, and Daniel remained the soulless, dull character he was from the start. They tried to make him look cool and all, but .. you're not DJing your way into my heart, no.2 !

So yeah, Sera finally had the talk she needed with her mother, found her long lost brother, but bid farewell to her career and 6-year boyfriend (her own doing, though). It's sad, but it goes to say how some decisions strip you of everything you've loved. It can't be a happy ending for everyone, but I sure wanted her to have one.

The closure pales in comparison to Act I's happiness, but that was intended. The snails took critical hits and still managed to find each other. LG is basically shattered by the disease-inflicted insecurity, he barely snapped out of it by the end, and MY is no longer an angel, she's hardened by heartbreak. The fairytale ended ages ago, so we're only supposed to be thankful for where they are now and keep rooting for them.

As for the moms .. They're always welcome, but they're no longer vital to the storyline. Sambap lady is getting frisky with Dr. Octopus, Sera's finally free from her mom's protective clutches, but more understanding and thankful to her now. It's all good.

Apart from the second leads' conundrum, there isn't much I would complain about. I love all 20 episodes of this beautiful work, but I totally get why you don't.

Thank you for sharing your reflections with us. I hope we fall in love with the same drama again so I can enjoy reading you.

panda

September 7, 2014 at 12:41 PM

@noble_ood i do have the most mischievous son in the world. LOL. It's not easy combining him with my studies (doing a PhD) but i am trying to make it work :)

jhu

September 6, 2014 at 11:49 PM

Awww. TV propaganda does not make the Mrs happy.

I am with you about the ending. Even if it was sweet, it marked a big departure from the sweetness the show offered in the beginning. That sweetness was the juice dripping from freshly cut sugarcane. This sweetness gives the same aftertaste as artificial sweetener.

Anyhow, I like how you do your math Samsooki. Feel a strong urge to convert Fated into an equation (oh, a venn diagram too) out of your last sentence.

Re Sera, I know I felt totally sad for her too. But was she cool, ever? Maybe in that first scene on the plane, for a couple of minutes. And then it was downhill for her all the way. I keep thinking back to Wang Ji-won in INR3, where she seemed uber sassy. And here, this. Wallowing in nothingness. So unfair.

And which is the second mother? Do you mean halmyuni?

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bjharm

September 7, 2014 at 3:28 AM

well it is Jang Nara, if she can beat time and never change, having twins is not going to change her!

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gustave154

September 7, 2014 at 10:32 PM

who ever gets to be Jang Nara's namja is the most luckiest guy in the world!

Sam Sergio

September 8, 2014 at 12:36 AM

A show with an ending as good as its beginning is hard to find lately in kdrama. I've come to expect it, so when it happens, i may skip the remaining episodes but the final. The writers can develop the issue, but the resolution usually develops at a plodding pace to a quick unsatisfying end. I think that's what happened to sister Se Ra. They forgot her. The fans were way more interested in the shinanagans of two leads anyways...

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osmanthustea

September 7, 2014 at 1:18 AM

You read my mind!

I think they really messed up the storyline for Daniel and Se Ra. While it is common for adoptive parents to not tell their kids aboout their adoptions, this was glossed over too quickly. We still don't know how Se Ra ended up being adopted, considering that Daniel-the-kid couldn't have taken all that long to buy SeRa-the-kid ice-cream from around the corner. Maybe 15minutes at the maximum? Did she get abducted? Did she start crying? I think the part with the student professing his love to Se Ra was quite funny though. Couldn't we have jumped to it after Mom's scene? And yay we finally know the real name for D Pitt haha!

This episode, I prefer to the previous one, because it seemed more genuine. I still like the show, I'm just disappointed that the plot lost steam towards the end? )=

Btw, I thought Manager Tak and unni had chemistry. So the chemistry is now supposed to be between him and Hong/Charles? o_O

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48 aweebit

September 6, 2014 at 8:31 AM

So I have one question. I noticed Mi Young and Gun speak formally to each other until the end. Does that say something about their relationship or their characters? i recognize the jeondaemal when I hear it, but not being Korean I feel like I'm missing a layer of cultural significance here. Any thoughts, oh wise Beanies?

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49 joyce

September 6, 2014 at 8:35 AM

FTLY - I will definitely miss you....
Hamoo hamoo

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50 Fun-Lugha

September 6, 2014 at 8:40 AM

"And at what feels like long last, the two get to have a night together they’ll actually remember, complete with candlelight and all their unspoken words of undying love passing between them as they kiss, undress, and make love."

Lols methinks you missed ur calling as a Mills & Boon author ;)

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