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Fight My Way: Episode 16 (Final)

Despite all of the many loose ends this final episode needs to tie up, it manages to do so nearly perfectly. Somehow all the questions are answered, and the Fantastic Four can look forward to their new futures armed with a deeper maturity and understanding of themselves. But wherever the world takes them, they will know that no matter what, they live life their own way.

 
Round 16: “Neverending My Way”

It’s 1996, and Ae-ra, Dong-man, and Seol-hee climb onto a ride at an amusement park. Dong-man complains that he’s scared in a seat by himself, and then a burly little boy jumps into Dong-man’s seat. His mother calls out, “Joo-man, look here!” and snaps a picture of the four children who have no idea that someday, they’ll all be best friends and more.

Back in the present, Ae-ra helps Seol-hee pack up some orders of her plum wine and asks why she’s making wine when she doesn’t even drink. Seol-hee says that everyone in her life drinks a lot, and grows happier when they do.

She says sadly that she misses the four of them drinking at Namil Bar on the roof and eating breakfast together. Ae-ra barks that one of them shot himself in the foot and the other ran off to fight, then she growls Joo-man’s name and throws a box at the ceiling. HA.

Upstairs, Dong-man finds Joo-man making mountains of kimbap in a frilly pink apron, claiming that he’s starting a lunchbox business. He takes a lunchbox down to Seol-hee’s doorstep, saying that he’s going to provide all her meals, and Dong-man complains that he’s making him look bad. Apparently Joo-man missed the entire drama of Dong-man and Ae-ra dating then breaking up, and he asks if Dong-man is sure he didn’t imagine it, hee.

The girls come outside and wow, that’s a lot of eye-rolling going on between Ae-ra and Dong-man. Ae-ra tells Joo-man to quit leaving lunches, and he says it’s between him and Seol-hee. He pulls Seol-hee aside to talk and shows her the new car he bought recently, asking if she wants to carpool.

Aw, sweet, he’s decorated the entire inside with pink accessories, but Seol-hee refuses the offer. When she sees him muck up his attempt to drive in reverse though, she takes pity on him and gets behind the wheel. She even executes the sexy hand-on-the-back-of-the-seat reverse maneuver perfectly. It’s cute how impressed Joo-man is by her driving.

Dong-man hangs back to help Ae-ra with some boxes, then he asks her how she’s so okay, only two weeks after their breakup. He says that he’s not okay, because he feels exactly the same about her as he did before: “When I see you, I want to hold your hand and take you home.” Ae-ra asks if they can’t even talk, but he tells her that he can’t handle it, so unless she plans to get back together, then he’d rather she didn’t speak to him.

Needing her soup pot back, Ae-ra takes some vegetables up to Landlady Hwang’s apartment. Landlady Hwang complains that Ae-ra is always coming over unannounced, and when she asks what the vegetables are for, Ae-ra asks if she has cancer.

Landlady Hwang gets sassy about Ae-ra prying, but she says that she had breast cancer and is fully recovered now. Ae-ra wanders to the air conditioner to cool off, and she spots a stuffed animal in the corner of the room that looks very familiar. It triggers a memory of herself stomping home from school, angry that so much of her schoolwork had to do with mothers.

She’d asked her father why she was the only kid without a mom, demanding that he produce one immediately. Her father had told her that her mother died, but Ae-ra said that she heard her mother got kicked out. Her dad had insisted she died, so Ae-ra pulled out a box of things she made in school for her mother and told him to throw it out.

In the box was the stuffed critter that Ae-ra finds at Landlady Hwang’s house. Everything clicks into place when she squeezes it and her own voice calls out, “I love you, I love you! Ae-ra says she loves Mom!” Ae-ra turns to Landlady Hwang and asks accusingly, “Ajumma, who are you?”

Landlady Hwang stops her from leaving, promising breathlessly to explain everything. In shock, Ae-ra says that it’s strange how she would understand if her mother had died, but it’s upsetting to see her alive and beautiful. Landlady Hwang says that she didn’t leave, not like Ae-ra thinks, but Ae-ra cries that it’s unfair that she didn’t watch over her as a mother, but now she watches her in secret.

Crying, Landlady Hwang gasps that she just missed Ae-ra so much. Ae-ra says that she feels like she was thrown away, then she collects herself and tells Landlady Hwang that she doesn’t want to see her.

Dong-man finally eats some of the porridge that Ae-ra made while he was sick, grumbling that she shouldn’t cook for him if she’s just going to break up with him. He seems surprised by the taste, but his doorbell distracts him, and he’s taken aback to find Hye-ran on his doorstep.

She hands him a container of porridge that Ae-ra had given her, claiming that she made too much. Hye-ran tells Dong-man that it’s the same porridge Ae-ra made when he went to the army, which Dong-man had always thought was from Hye-ran.

Now Hye-ran confesses that it was Ae-ra who made the porridge and waited for him to come home, and that she’d also convinced Hye-ran not to come back to him just before she got married. We see Ae-ra stopping Hye-ran from knocking on his door the night before her wedding, saying that Dong-man wasn’t calculating about his love like she was, and if she shook him up that night and got married the next morning, Dong-man wouldn’t survive.

In a montage of flashbacks, we see Ae-ra pushing her way into Dong-man’s place after Hye-ran left him, claiming that her heater was broken. She’d snored on the floor while Dong-man complained, only we see that she was faking her snores, hee.

She continued to bug him at every opportunity, cooking for him and even checking on him when he was in the bathroom. Once she went to his place to find him passed out next to a bottle of pills, and she’d panicked at his racing heartbeat. He’d finally popped up and said it was just medicine for the indigestion she’s giving him with all the food, ha.

He said that he knew her heater wasn’t broken, and that he knew she was just hanging around because she was afraid he was going to kill himself. Ae-ra insisted that her heater was broken, but Dong-man was all, “It’s summer.” HAHA. He whined that he actually started gaining weight after being dumped, thanks to her.

Now Hye-ran apologizes for getting between them, and she tells Dong-man not to lose Ae-ra. “A dummy like you needs a dummy like her,” she says with a smile.

At work, Joo-man hears that he’s up for a promotion again. Excited, he runs to the copy room for a happy dance, only to find another doe-eyed intern pouting up at him next to the broken copier, face smudged with ink. But this time he’s all business as he tells her to stand, then shows her how to fix it herself. Hey, the boy learns!

Later Seol-hee’s boss pulls her aside to tell her that she’s been passed over for a full-time position. Seol-hee hands her a resignation letter, but she says that she’s not quitting out of anger, but because her plum wine is selling so well she’s decided to do it full-time. Her boss is ecstatic for her, and urges Seol-hee to sell her wine on their home shopping network someday and give the managers a hard time.

Nam-il arrives home to find Landlady Hwang despondent, and she says she wants to get her flip phone back. Tears slipping down her face, she adds sadly, “Let’s go back to Japan.”

Nam-il goes to Coach Hwang for the phone, and he asks if there are valuable documents on it. Coach Hwang tells him that the password is Landlady Hwang’s son and daughter’s birthdays, and that the phone contains the will she made when she had cancer. When he’s alone, Nam-il opens the phone to find it full of pictures of Ae-ra as a child… but there are just as many photos of himself there (and aww, I recognize that last one), proving how much Landlady Hwang loves him.

Nam-il takes the phone to Ae-ra, telling her that their mother never left Ae-ra for a moment. She looks through the pictures as she takes a bus to see her father, and when she gets home she demands some answers.

Dad tells Ae-ra that her mother came to all of her school events in disguise, and that his own mother treated her horribly. He says that she sent most of her income home for Ae-ra, enough to send her to college and pay for all of her youthful indiscretions, at least until her business failed.

As she heads home, Ae-ra changes the contact in her phone for “Landlady” to “Mom.”

Dong-man hops off a bus and grabs Ae-ra’s bag, and he guesses right away that a trip to Dad means she figured out that Landlady Hwang is her mother. He tells her to wait and not to date, just for two months, though she snaps defiantly that she’s going to go clubbing, heh.

In voiceover, Dong-man tells us that for a while, they all went their own ways. Ae-ra becomes even more outspoken in her new career, refusing to wear skimpy outfits and standing her ground, while Seol-hee’s plum wine business takes off. Joo-man continues apologizing to Seol-hee with food and stuffed animals, until her side of the apartment is overflowing with dolls.

Dong-man trains like a beast, and John continues to refuse to let him tap out (“We ain’t got time for tap!” LOL). He tells Dong-man that he only has two months to learn three finishing moves, though he only needs one move to win.

Quite the kiss-up these days, Joo-man takes a birthday gift to Seol-hee’s father. But then he’s terrified by the arrival of Seol-hee’s two massive brothers, who stare down at him and demand to know why he’s here. When Seol-hee arrives, he smiles like he’s scared to death, hee.

Nam-il serves Landlady Hwang his new chicken recipe, pouting that he thought there was something really important on that phone and complaining that she made him look bad. She reminds him of how they met when he was fifteen and he picked her pocket.

He tears up as she says that the Korean orphan alone in Japan reminded her of the daughter she couldn’t raise. She tells him that he wasn’t a replacement, but her son, and that she’s lived for him since she met him. “I didn’t save you. You were the one who saved me,” she says, and she chides him for thinking that she’d throw him away when she’d found Ae-ra.

Choked up, he asks if she’s trying to make him cry. He admits that she’s all he has, so of course he feels jealous, and she asks affectionately if he’s going to ever grow up. Nam-il says that he’s going back to Japan alone, since he’s had her for fourteen years and now it’s Ae-ra’s turn.

Seol-hee is annoyed at Joo-man, who lies on the floor moaning in pain from eating too much at her father’s birthday party. Looking for any excuse, Joo-man whines about the sore burned spot on his back, only to have Seol-hee smack him and call for her scary oppas.

Worried about his upcoming rematch with Dong-man, Tak-soo whines at Coach Choi to come back and train him. Coach Choi asks if he plans to bribe or cheat this time, but Tak-soo promises that if Coach Choi helps him, he’ll fight fair.

Two months pass quickly, and soon it’s time to send John home. He apologizes for being so hard on Dong-man, but Dong-man only understands the word “sorry” and says that all he feels is thankful. He says, “See you again,” in his limited English, and John says that maybe soon they’ll meet in the ring. Coach Hwang hears “soon” and hands him a big bag of soondae, hee.

Ae-ra has the honor of announcing the rematch, and everyone is in the audience—Dong-man and Ae-ra’s fathers, little sister Dong-hee, Joo-man and Seol-hee, and even Landlady Hwang. Dong-man is brought into the arena first, but instead of his usual theme song, Ae-ra is surprised when he enters to the song she always sings for him.

Turning to Coach Hwang, Dong-man says that he’ll only fight standing until the second round. Instead of arguing, Coach Hwang says to forget his coaching and do whatever he wants. He tells Dong-man to look around and realize that just being here makes him a winner. But Dong-man says that he doesn’t like ambiguous endings, so if he’s going to win, he wants to win properly and end this for good.

Tak-soo enters the arena, and the fight begins. Ae-ra shuts her eyes tightly, and all she can hear is the pounding of fists against flesh as the two men fight. After a few seconds she resolutely opens her eyes and makes herself watch.

Interestingly enough, Dong-man and Tak-soo’s fight almost perfectly mirrors their last match. Dong-man throws Tak-soo to the floor where he lies there beckoning Dong-man to join him, but Dong-man stays on his feet. Tak-soo gets up and grabs Dong-man, crushing him to the fence.

He tries to trip Dong-man, who fights hard to keep on his feet. Tak-soo taunts him that he can’t fight on the floor, but this time instead of getting angry, Dong-man just thanks him for the show and says that he’ll start playing now.

He throws Tak-soo off, then just like last time, Tak-soo jumps up and wraps his legs around Dong-man’s middle. Again Dong-man flings him to the mat, following him down and landing on top of him. Dong-man lands several solid punches, then Tak-soo grabs him by the head and flips him over.

He tries to get up, but Dong-man is too quick—he leaps onto Tak-soo’s back, grabbing him in a headlock so that Dong-man is stuck on his back like a turtle. He’s got Tak-soo in a death grip as he flips over on the mat, and Tak-soo can’t escape. They don’t budge, and the referee finally stops them and they break apart.

When the fight resumes, Tak-soo is losing control, and he swings at Dong-man wildly. He attempts Dong-man’s famous roundhouse kick, missing by a mile, and Dong-man tells him to do it properly if he’s going to copy him. Then to make his point, he executes that exact kick, then follows it up with a reverse kick, knocking Tak-soo to the mat. It’s a KO, and Dong-man is declared the winner.

The arena bursts into wild applause as Dong-man sinks to his knees. His humiliating fight from ten years ago runs through his head, and all of his defeats since then at the hands of Tak-soo. With tears in his eyes, Dong-man raises his head and lets loose a triumphant roar.

There’s not a dry eye in the house as Ae-ra looks on with relief and both dads cry with pride. Dong-man’s mother, watching at home, wails that she’s going to break his legs to stop him from fighting. Even Hye-ran is watching the fight, and she says with a smile, “Why is he so cool? How annoying.”

Dong-man presents Coach Hwang with the gold victor’s belt, grinning as Coach Hwang sobs and makes a big show of waving the belt around. Ae-ra nervously enters the ring to interview Dong-man, and she gets choked up as she says that this victory was ten years in the making.

He thanks everyone who rooted for him as the crowd cheers. Ae-ra can’t even look at Dong-man as she congratulates him sincerely, trying to hold back her tears.

Everyone else exits the ring, but Dong-man grabs Ae-ra’s wrist before she can leave and asks why she’s crying again, because she shouldn’t care if her ex wins or loses. She snaps that they never should have dated.

Dong-man says that he can’t live without her, but he can’t ask her to take him back in case they break up again. So he suggests that they forget all about this dating and breaking up business. Ae-ra finally looks at him, wide-eyed, when he says, “Just live with me.”

Shocked, she asks if he’s asking her to shack up, but Dong-man reminds her that he’s a simple guy: “If we kiss, we’re dating. If we live together, it’s marriage. Marry me.” OMG, he’s proposing!

Ae-ra just sniffles at him as Dong-man says that for twenty years, he hasn’t been able to live without her. So if he has to choose between never seeing her and seeing her every day, then he chooses to see her forever. Ae-ra asks him about MMA fighting, and he barks, annoyed, “You. You you you. It’s you! Even if I die, it has to be you.”

Again he asks Ae-ra to marry him with the most adorable begging-puppy look on his face. Ae-ra just wails, “Why are you asking?!” which is all the answer he needs. Dong-man pulls her in for a hug as the arena erupts in applause all over again.

Seol-hee lets Joo-man hold her hand, though she says it means nothing and she doesn’t forgive him. Joo-man just gives her a kiss on the cheek, and by the grin on his face I’d say the resulting beating was worth it. “I’ll be happy getting beat to death for kissing you!” he blurts in between hits.

Sometime later, Dong-man stuffs wedding invitations while Ae-ra complains that he’s going to ruin the wedding by rushing things. He says he has a plan, and Ae-ra coos sarcastically that he shouldn’t strain his weak little head by thinking, hee.

Suspicious noises draw them upstairs to Joo-man’s apartment, where they find him innocently peeling plums for Seol-hee. With matching hands on hips, they ask accusingly why he’s peeling Seol-hee’s plums, and while Dong-man glares, Ae-ra roots around the apartment and finds Seol-hee hiding in a trunk, lol.

Ae-ra reminds Seol-hee of her own words that she wasn’t human if she got back together with Joo-man, and tells her to dump him and live an awesome life. Seol-hee tries and fails to insist that all they were doing was peeling plums, but she trails off when her excuses sound weak, and Joo-man hugs her and begs dramatically, “Just let us love each other!” Both Dong-man and Ae-ra send flying kicks in his direction.

Later on the roof, Ae-ra and Landlady Hwang sit together awkwardly, and Ae-ra says casually that she’s going to start calling her “Mom.” She says it’s just manners, and Landlady Hwang looks like she could explode with happiness as she thanks Ae-ra for being polite, hee.

Ae-ra asks if she’s rich now, but she’s shocked when her mother tells her that she had three businesses fail, so the villa and store are heavily mortgaged. She reminds her daughter to pay her rent on time, and Ae-ra sighs that she should have known, though her mom reminds her that she did buy the gym.

Suddenly remembering, Ae-ra asks why she’s the “Nam-il” in Namil Villa. Her mother tells her that it was what they called her before she was born, and when Ae-ra asks what it means, her mom just says, “I have no idea,” with the guiltiest look on her face.

That night, Landlady Hwang gets sloppy drunk with Coach Hwang and tells him the truth—that Namil Expressway is where Ae-ra was… He assumes she’s going to say Ae-ra was born there, but she slurs happily that Ae-ra was conceived in a motel there, hee. Landlady Hwang changes the subject and suggests they open a soondae business together.

Hye-ran decides to move out, and she leaves Ae-ra a wedding envelope, wishing her happiness and congratulating her. She does tease that if she sees a way in, she’ll be back, but it comes across as a playful joke now.

Coach Hwang presents their grand plan to Ae-ra—that he and Dong-man will run the gym as a business together, and that Dong-man will only fight during the busy season. Ha, Dong-man growls that he wasn’t going to tell her that last part until after they registered their marriage.

Ae-ra isn’t thrilled about having to see Coach Hwang for the rest of her life, but Coach Hwang says that aside from his friendship with Dong-man, her mom sure thinks he’s cute. (Wait, did he just make a “your mom” joke? LOL.)

The four friends spend the night before the wedding drinking on the roof. Joo-man asks if Ae-ra will move into Dong-man’s place, but she grumbles that she doesn’t know because Dong-man has no plan. Dong-man argues that if they weren’t reckless, then she wouldn’t be an announcer, he wouldn’t be a fighter, Seol-hee wouldn’t be running her own business, and Joo-man wouldn’t have found his diaphragm. HA.

They toast to their lives, lived their own way.

Epilogue.

The friends wake the next morning, still on the roof. Ae-ra is flustered, and Dong-man says that she looks even uglier than usual today. She shrieks that she’s getting married today, but all three friends just ask if she met someone and why she’d want to get married.

Ae-ra wails, wondering if it was all a dream. Then Dong-man kisses her and says it’s cute that she’s still drunk, looking forward to teasing her for the rest of his life.

COMMENTS

Aw, I love that ending, even though it’s not at all what I expected. I was anticipating a wedding for Seol-hee and Joo-man, while Dong-man and Ae-ra continued dating, but this really makes more sense now that I think about it. Dong-man and Ae-ra already know everything there is to know about each other, so marriage is the next logical step, plus it’s just like Dong-man to want to lock Ae-ra down so she can’t break up with him again. And Joo-man and Seol-hee are very different people now, so they need time to get to know each other all over again.

In general I’ve loved Fight My Way more than I ever expected to—it was smarter and more insightful than I generally require a rom-com to be (though I should have known by the cast, who have a tendency to pick great projects). I do have a few quibbles about the show, though none of them are really that serious. Mostly I wanted to see more of the so-called Fantastic Four interacting, but we really never saw them all doing anything together besides the occasional drink on the roof. Given how little we saw of Joo-man and Seol-hee at all during nearly the entire first half of the drama, I think I would have cared more about their problems if we’d bonded with them as friends before diving right into their problems and their breakup.

Other than that, and a few small issues like occasional awkward editing making it difficult to figure out the timeline, I think that Fight My Way is one of the better-written rom-coms in recent years. Secrets weren’t telegraphed weeks before the truth was revealed, and situations were clearly set up well in advance and teased in such a way that we didn’t realize we’d been teased until the right time. The characters were all well-developed and interesting, and even though they often did the same things we expect from rom-com characters, they didn’t just follow the script because dramaland laws say that this happens at this point in the story. They had reasoned, logical motivations for their actions, which really should be standard and not a plus, but when it works out so well, I have to give credit where it’s due.

What I enjoyed most about Fight My Way was that it did one of my favorite things in a drama—its adult characters behaved like adults and spoke their minds. Ae-ra endeared herself to me very early with her outspoken, bold personality. Dong-man took a bit longer to show that side of himself, but when he did, the swoony moose more than made up for his initial fear of voicing his attraction to Ae-ra by telling her exactly what he wanted at all times. I loved how he complained about her holding him at arm’s length physically, while still being respectful of her nervousness… which, by the way, falls into what I mentioned earlier about characters having actual reasons for their behavior. Ae-ra wasn’t putting off a physical relationship because she was immature, but because she had a very real worry about changing the nature of their friendship to something they couldn’t come back from.

Though the ending was a bit too perfect to be realistic, I am glad that Dong-man finally got to win in a fair fight with Tak-soo and take back his dignity. I always appreciated that Dong-man’s wish to fight Tak-soo again was never about clearing his name or making Tak-soo admit he was wrong. It was only ever about Dong-man needing to prove that he could win in a fair fight against Tak-soo, and to redeem himself in his own heart and for his family, and he did that admirably. He worked hard, fought honorably, and now he can move on with his head held high—for himself.

I love these characters so much, and I’ll really miss them now that the show is over. I have to mention how wonderful I think Kim Ji-won was as a leading lady—she did so well, I have a hard time remembering how she ever played villains. And Park Seo-joon may very well have just turned in his best performance yet, which only makes me look forward to his future career that much more. Dong-man and Ae-ra have definitely become one of my top drama couples, just for sheer honesty and openness with each other.

And so we send our Fantastic Four into their futures with the knowledge that sometimes, having the guts to live life your own way is all the growing up you need to do.

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It's been a roller coaster of a ride watching our favourite characters on screen finally achieve their dream...

I'm feeling ambivalent; happy for them but sad for the show ending ꒰⌯͒•̩̩̩́ ˑ̫ •̩̩̩̀⌯͒꒱ no more of my favourite DM and AR interaction ...

In this episode, the flashbacks really killed me ahhhh and Hye-Ran isn't that much of a b!tch (lol?) and made airheaded DM to realise AR is the one -- well kind of pushed the idea more (wooo -- for once I agree with your actions girl! Also, she looks so much better with black hair).٩꒰ ꇐω ꇐ๑꒱۶

At the same time it didn't really feel like they broke up after that heart-wrenching scene yesterday. The first few minutes were ljke NOOOO don't ignore each other -- but in the end AR couldn't help ignore DM ꒰ ΄◞ิ۝◟ิ‵꒱

QQ ofc this had to end on a good note (I would've murdered the writer if it didn't) -- im glad it ended on a happy note but I really wish Sul-hee remained independent and didn't get back together --- oh well! And I was really looking forward to the wedding (too cheesy ?)

But I'm glad it started with the four characters together, and the four at the end ! Shows their strong friendship !!!

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They wouldn't have been able to ignore each other for long, come on... more than 20 years friendship! Even as friends they would have made up eventually, and I love how sincere they were. Giving a good example to many rom-coms out there.
I really find annoying a never ending chain of misunderstandings only to clear them up in the last chapter. Here I think we never had that. Kudos for the writer.

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I still wish we'd had about two more eps, but this finale was close to perfect. I love this writer most for all the little, special moments throughout the series, like not forgetting to give even Nam-il a sweet moment of connection with his mom. I like that we ended with quite a bit of resolution--but not too much. Everyone still has life to live and choices to make, but they've all grown significantly since we met them. It's been a really delightful journey, and I will miss these characters more than most people I meet in dramaland.

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I agree. For a drama that wasn't highly anticipated or much promoted, it managed to capture the hearts of the public and leave a deep impression on all of its viewers.

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same! times like this I wish kdramas follow jdoramas having a 1 hour special of epilogue - just the couple(s) being together or going on a trip. Id really like it if I get a roadtrip special with all four being their awesome selves. and also our otp having a good proper kiss we were deprived of in the finale haha

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I've noticed that a lot of Kdrama fans don't seem to care for epilogues. I don't watch Jdrama, but I *love* epilogues. Even if it's not the whole last hour, but half of it, I enjoy seeing a romance drama end showing the couple being happy together in their relationship or getting married. I've seen a lot of people say that those types of endings were "pointless" or they should have ended it the episode before. Personally, I enjoy the fan service! :)

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So proud of our leading lady and man!!! Been a fan of them before this but an even bigger fan now!

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To be honest, the first time I saw her was in DotS and I really didn't like her then. I like her a lot more here.

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I actually liked her character and loveline in DOTS (netter than the lead) but maybe bec I'm more drawn to the angsty relationships than sweet ones ?

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Better*

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Oh, and forgot to say, Park Seo-joon is all kinds of awesome. I really look forward to seeing him in the future. It good that he finished his military service so early on too.

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He's already done his?? Oh, that makes me so happy! I was thinking that he was getting to about the same age as all the other actors starting to go in and felt sad that this might be his last show for a while. Thank you for that info! I'm excited to know that I might see him in something else soon (I don't know if it could compare to how much I loved FMW though! LOL)

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Someone pls explain what the big issue was with Mum pls! That conflict fell flat for me.. was she forced into doing adult movies? or was she always a adult movie star? Did she do multiple movies before being outed that's why Ae-ra's grandma hated her & kicked her out?? what happened back then?? just one dwarf flower cant explain coach-nim's fangirling after her!

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I just wanted to clarify that "Okmaehwa", the movie with Ae Ra's mom, was not an adult film. If you read all the small letters in the newspaper article, It was an artistic film that even won awards at Cannes, but the media made Hwang Bok Hee to be an adult film star just because there were some scenes with exposed body parts. It's not even clear if there was full nudity.

This was what I wrote in earlier post. Hwang Bok Hee even won award for best actress at the Cannes Film Festival based on her role in Okmaehwa. But because of the media, she was slammed as an adult film actress.

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Ahhh! I was bothered as well by this. Thank you for explaining

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Ohh thank you! this makes soo much sense in context of coach-nim being her fan and Ae-ra liking the movie a lot! Media really has waay too much power to ruin people's lives..

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The conflict was because Ae-Ra's grandparents forced her mom away because of the nasty gossip in the media. It wasn't true, but she was pretty powerless at that time to fight back without dragging Ae-Ra through the mud.

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The elders have so much power in those dramas. Otherwise, I'd say to H*ll with them ... Ae-Ra living without her mum because of a misunderstanding in the tabloids! It's obvious where the real scandal is there!
Honestly, I had misunderstood that thing too, and thought she had somehow been pressured in to exposure more and more skin, and then ... Like some bad people do on the internet, using an initial exposed one breast to blackmail victims more in an evil spiral - that she had then made something more X-rated than she had wanted and couldn't come back to the village because all the men would have seen that film and start mumbling about it every time they saw her, or her child.
An art film with some nudity - that's just not the scale that should make those old people hinder a mother and child from being together.

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But what about that video that Aera's mom begged the director not to play? It sounded like some documentary (about her being an adult movie star) or was it the movie itself (being played in major broadcast perhaps)? And she didn't divorce with Aera's dad, did she? But why was there a sorta-loveline hinted bet her and Coachnim (or was it simply fan worship)?

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I think it was a documentary on her with malicious editing and outing her as a mother with videos of Ae-ra (we saw glimpses of it when mom goes into the PD's room). . that's my best guess from how indignant mum was about being shown Dong-man's documentary to ensure there was no mean stuff.

I think the coach-nim - mum storyline would be awesome if it happened! What with coachnim having no dating experience and mum being quite the chic lady! Hehe

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The issue is she was an single mom and that fact combined with the label of being an adult movie star due to the way the story as edited in that video broadcast scandalized her and would harm Ae-ra. So she left for Japan.

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Single mom? I'm confused- I missed something? I thought she was married to Ae-ra's Dad- he even said the his mother treated her badly

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No there was definitely a hint of Ae-Rae mum and Dong-man (OMG that name) getting together.
I mean ... In the epilogue of episode 10, Hwang Jang-ho tries to light a firework (Like a fat stick in the sand) but he can’t get it up, and Hwang Bok/Ganako Hwang/mystery Landlady says: “Relax, take it easy. Don’t be nervous”.
Then he sits beside her and looks admiringly at her.
I have talked a bit elsewhere about innuendo. I hope I don't have to go into details about fireworks (winky face) that don't go off, and a noona who tells man that it's not a problem.

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CORRECTION
not Dong-man but Dong-man's coach, of course.

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There is a scene in which Ae Ra tells her Mom that she saw the film and thought she was awesome.

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At one point, Ae Ra tells her mother that she saw the film and thought she was a great actress.

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It's over. :((((((( It was such a good series! Maybe not perfect, but I have too many good things to say about this show, the cast and the crew! I LOVED IT! Really sad that it has ended. SPECIAL EPISODE PLEASE!

But thank you for teaching me so much about life! It's been a joy to watch the fantastic four, especially DM and AR, and everyone around them. <3 <3 <3

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I had a few quibbles with the finale (I knew I wouldn't be satisfied with the Landlady Mom reveal, and yeah) but overall I enjoyed it and loved the show.
Dong Man and Ae Ra made my favorite K-drama couples list.
How cute are Coach and Dong Man and their sign with the heart between their names lol.

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Coach-nim <3 Dong man was the best bit! and how Ae-ra treated him as the annoying third wheel or in hindi as "sautan" in her & dongman's relationship was soo funny!

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I also think Coach-nim and Dong Man are like soul mates hehe. They both look cute together. Cheers for bromance!

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It was really cute when Dong-man told Coach Hwang not to get too close when Coach Hwang was talking about Ae-ra's mom. Super soul mates.

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Dongman + AeRa and Kim Bokjoo + Jung JoonHyun are my top favorites couples ❤❤❤ because their characters are all straightforward and honest with each other and never drag any misunderstand they have like most kdramas I seen.

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I'm so sad to see this drama ending, especially since I really think they should've given themselves 20 episodes to properly wrap up the story. These final episodes just had almost no breathing room in scenes, and while I appreciate the pace of the story I did find myself wishing we could've had a few more quiet moments in between all the revelations and climaxes. That being said, I still loved seeing the resolution to the story of these friends; Joo-man in particular really won me over in the final few episodes and I did go from practically hating him to being ok with Seol-hee taking him back in the long run.

This drama was hardly perfect, but it was well-written and it truly gave the lead actors the chance to really shine. PSJ and KJW in particular for managed to blow away even my highest expectations with their performances, and the supporting cast was wonderful in their own right.

That fourth-wall-breaking moment at the end might be my favorite moment of the whole drama, though. The acknowledgement of the fans was just so sweet, and a perfect thing to end what really has been an everyperson's drama. I think we can see that the drama accomplished what it meant to because it doesn't just feel like we're finishing a story, it feels like saying goodbye to friends.

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I totally agree with your comment. Though I feel like the drama could have been better with some more episodes, I think I'm satisfied with the ending. It's by no means perfect (glancing towards the Secret Forest), but this one manages to make me smile many many times. It has been a good treat/ride and I appreciate the drama a lot. The moment which captured me the most in the final episode is when Mama told Nam Il that he is not the substitution of anyone but her own son my eyes teared up a bit. I really appreciate Tae Min (I really don't know his name but the character he played in Chicago Typewriter)'s acting.

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His name is Kwak Si-yang, and I really hope he gets more roles after this! He's been fantastic in CT and FMW.

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Thanks @pickwick! Ok it's Kwak Si-yang then. As much as I like his acting in this show, I do wonder if he could play a good guy very well. He has that bad guy with some hidden intention kind of look to me.

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I was so glad to see he was actually sweet and just insecure at the end. I didn't want him to be a bad guy again.

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He plays a sweet chef in Oh My Ghostess! The pic was even featured in this episode, when he looked thru the Landlady's old flip phone.

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<3 Kwak Si-Yang was Nam Il. I was afraid early on they would make him a villian and they didn't! I'm so glad it was a matter of his prickly, protective misunderstood nature. I'm happy the show allowed him to be tender and generous in the end. I was tearing up too.

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I kinda wanted a bit more of sibling squabbles between him & Aera after knowing the truth.

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I did too! They worked really well together on screen. They looked like they were having fun.

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I also became friend with joo man finally. I did not care for him half of the Serie, but at the end, I liked him very much. I agree with what you have said.

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Thanks for the recaps @lollypip!

Even though this show had its flaws I think it's going down as one of my all-time favorites. I loved the dynamics between the central foursome and I'm especially gonna miss watching our mic psycho and the meatheaded boy she loves fight (both for one another and with one another). The chemistry was so easy and fun to watch, and the whole show just left me feeling warm and squishy, which is really all I ask sometimes.

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Thanks for all the recaps @lollypip! I generally tend to agree with you, and your thoughts here are no exception.

Despite all of the many loose ends this final episode needs to tie up, it manages to do so nearly perfectly. Somehow all the questions are answered, and the Fantastic Four can look forward to their new futures armed with a deeper maturity and understanding of themselves. But wherever the world takes them, they will know that no matter what, they live life their own way.

This is one of the few dramas that managed to leave me satiated in the way they addressed so many issues in the final episode without anything feeling rushed.

What I enjoyed most about Fight My Way was that it did one of my favorite things in a drama—its adult characters behaved like adults and spoke their minds.

This shouldn't be so rare in dramaland, but I think it's gradually getting better.

The characters were all well-developed and interesting, and even though they often did the same things we expect from rom-com characters, they didn’t just follow the script because dramaland laws say that this happens at this point in the story. They had reasoned, logical motivations for their actions, which really should be standard and not a plus, but when it works out so well, I have to give credit where it’s due.

I loved that this show made sense and wasn't your typical paint by numbers rom-com.

All in all, one of the better k-dramas out there. It was a fun ride.

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NOO!!! I can't believe it's over!! I'm gonna miss Fight My Way sooo much!!! ❤❤ ???

*Rant start* (Beware everyone that loved the finale!)
I'm so disappointed though! It's frustrating that I can't bring myself to be satisfied with the ending, because I wanted to like it, but for now I can't (I hope I'll like it more once I'll rewatch it).
I feel like I've loved this drama so much that anything short from perfect for the finale was going to disappoint me...and I guess that's what happened.
I had faith in the writer (that did so well for 15 episodes) but she really let me down this time...the episode felt so rushed, for me it lacked the greatness of the previous ones.
I can't really tell what the problem is, but I didn't get the same feeling as while I was watching the rest of the drama and this saddens and frustrates me so so much, I felt a bit detached! Part of the problem is the fact that it's still the last episode so I was bound to be sad in any case.
It's not that I didn't like how every storyline and loose end was wrapped up (because I did, in the end), but they rushed everything too much, I guess there wasn't enough time (I wish we had 1 or 2 more episodes).
And I know this is quite shallow but, where is our last kiss scene?!?! You can't spoil us with kisses like that and then leave us hanging on the last episode!!! (But maybe that's just me)...and it's not just about kissing per se, it's more the fact that I didn't feel between Ae Ra and Dong Man the same love that we saw since episode 1!! I'm not kidding here, but I liked and felt more the break up scene on episode 15 than the proposal this episode!! And they totally rushed their reconciliation: Dong Man is still a fighter, how come Ae Ra is ok with that now, without talking about it?? This makes the previous breakup almost pointless (I loved the conflict).
I feel like every storyline's resolution was undermined by the lack of time to delve into them; this applies for Ae Ra and landlady/mom (I guess this spared us from a lot of angst, but they really reconciled too fast), Seul Hee and Joo Man (I was rooting for them, but I don't really now how they got back together), Hye Ran (rolling my eyes...I think they went bit overboard trying to make us sympathize with her).
(Did I mention the lack of kissing???)
One more thing that bothered me was the PPL...like, it's the last episode, why put all this PPL here?! For the first time it felt distracting! sob...
Why show, why?!?! I loved you so much!!! ???
...Or maybe it's just because it's over and I can't accept it?!
*Rant over* I'm sorry!

Overall I think it's a good episode, though, and there were things that I liked nonetheless:
*Dong Man winning fairly, but most of all overcoming the disappointment over the defeat after 10 years and moving on. (Loved PSJ again here) I feel like this is the only point that has being given proper time to develop in this episode, and thus making it my favorite...

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(...)
Overall I think it was a good episode, though, and there were things that I liked nonetheless:
*Dong Man winning fairly, but most of all overcoming the disappointment over the defeat after 10 years and moving on. (Loved PSJ again here) I feel like this is the only point that has being given proper time to develop in this episode, and thus making it my favorite part of the episode (even if I wasn't really looking forward to another fight)
*The fantastic four as kids in the first scene; Ae Ra as a kid with her father. (How good is that kid?! So cute!)
*Seul Hee driving better than Joo Man (Ha!) and living well on her own.
*Ae Ra succeeding in her career.
*The proposal. (It was cute but I not that heart-fluttering as other scenes in the previous episodes)
I think spreading all these plot points over 2 episode instead of one would have worked better, but this is what we got and I'm grateful anyways.

I still loved this drama a lot, everyone in the cast (and crew) did a wonderful job!
(Park Seo Jun I love you!! SeoWon couple I love you!!)

And finally thank you Lollypip for the recaps! I've thoroughly enjoyed reading them and discussing every little detail with everyone!

Love you Fight My Way!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

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I completely get your disappointment! Everything felt a little rushed to me. I'm not sure about what was the aim of making Ae Ra and Dong Man break up. I felt like they wanted to do things the way they do drama: there's always a break up in dramas so they put one here but I don't see the point since it didn't help resolve the "problem" of Ae Ra not accepting that Dong Man does MMA. I still don't get what the point of Ae Ra's job as an announcer is. She only says one sentence per fight and that's it?

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Ae Ra presents the fight and then interviews the winner. She also has a show where she interviews MMA fighters. They showed it in ep 15.

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So that's what she does... I don't know I feel like with her spunk she would be better as a sport journalist who comments live on the fight

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I did not find this finale resonated at all the same way as the earlier episodes, partially bc there was no room to breathe. But, also, we ended on a really emotional note in episode 15 and then kicked off episode 16 with showing very little emotional consequence from our two leads - particularly Dong-man. Maybe that is the consequence of having been friends for 20 years, but there should still be some effect.

And Ae Ra's ultimatum/break up felt completely undermined by the resolution in 16. I get he said "you, you, you" but it didn't work .... probably bc it was all to fast.

And the landlady; the flip from I feel abandoned, to calling her "mom" was too much for one episode. And Ae-Ra's lack of reaction that everyone, including Dong-man, knew.

BUT! I loved Landlady and son, and the finale scene, and Joo-Won being oblivious that they dated.

And I would like to thank the fight choreographer, because this fight was somehow a bit of a sexy watch.

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"But, also, we ended on a really emotional note in episode 15 and then kicked off episode 16 with showing very little emotional consequence from our two leads - particularly Dong-man. Maybe that is the consequence of having been friends for 20 years, but there should still be some effect.

And Ae Ra's ultimatum/break up felt completely undermined by the resolution in 16. I get he said "you, you, you" but it didn't work .... probably bc it was all to fast."

I totally agree with this!! I feel like they didn't resolve this point properly and from this comes my frustration!

The final episode wasn't bad if considered on its own, but I think it was to light after two vary heavy and poignant episodes...
I'm so sad I couldn't enjoy it like many people did!

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Pretty much exaaaactly how I felt. I still love this show, but seriously underwhelming ending and rushed to tie everything up.... The mom conflict honestly ended quite pathetically, I think that was the worst of all of them. They pretty much built up the mystery of the mom for several episodes, only for it to end so abruptly. Ugh.
And yeah wtf, NO KISS SCENE IN THE LAST EP???? WUT??? All those sweet kisses in the last few eps, but not one in the ending?
Super disappointing. And I agree, such lack of romantic/sweet feeling in the last ep.
Basically the ending was really, REALLY meh. But I'm only letting it pass cuz the rest of the drama was goo.d

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Yes!!! and I'm still not over it...the problem is that this finale ruined my enjoyment of the previous episodes...I can't watch them without feeling the disappointment!! so depressing...and I was planning to binge watch it once finished but now I can't!! ???
(No kiss after their reconciliation!?!?! What?!?!?)

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For me, it ended pretty well. It's not perfect but definitely this drama is one of the best. Highly recommended! I so loveeee this show.

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Me too! Will always look back with fond memories of Aera and Dong Man's cute bickering relationship! ?

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Thanks for the journey LollyPip!!! I've enjoyed the recaps immensely. Even though the drama faltered in its cracktastic-ness for me toward the end, I will remember the love and warmth in this show fondly. Even in our (maybe third-rate) lives, it's great to have a drama to remind us that you're never too old to live your dreams, even if they look a little bit different than what you would have expected.

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I screamed so loud when that epilogue started off holy shit I was so ruined

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The bit where AeRa kept feeding DongMan so he would not die of a heartbreak because of HyeRan made me laugh out loud. It is so funny that by the end of it he gained weight. She really does have a heart of gold and she is so protective and loyal to the people she loves. It is inspiring and I definitely have learnt a lot from this drama. Park Seo Joon at his best and Kim Ji Won should not ever play second lead ever again, she is too good for that. I can see her in a historical drama in the future. The second leads did so well here as well especially the actress who plays SeolHee, she portrayed her so well.
Well done to the superb cast and crew!

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+1 to seeing Kim Ji Won in saguek! ??

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She will be playing a lead female actor in Saeguk movie; Detective K 3 ;)

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*lead female role

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Ooh interesting! Thanks, I'll search it up!

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Agreed I'm so glad this was a opportunity for Kim Ji Won to shine, she really is lead material and hopefully will play even bigger roles in the future.

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Tbh, this drama did nothing groundbreaking. It's the same slice-of-life meet friends-turn-lovers story. But I have to applaud it for the better use of its cameo and side characters. I like how these characters come and go in a non-standard pattern. It reminded me of real life when sometimes you have to meet your old friends and rival, or unexpectedly stumble into one of your ex, or have to endure working with burdensome partner or boss, or meeting a total stranger that somehow give you wonderful insight.

I feel like those characters are all quite well-developed and well-explored. They feel like a lead of their own life and we just happened to have a chance to peek at their life through our leads' POV. Some of them might be annoying, the other unexpectedly sweet and supportive, while some other gave a short yet impactful appearance. Maybe some of them will somehow learn to live a better life and maybe the other will continue to bring awesomeness to other's life.

So I would like to dedicate this comment as an appreciation for Hye-ran, Tak-su, Moo-bin, Bo-ram, Nam-il, Kyung-ku, Coach Choi, Chan-sook, Manager Yang, Moo-ki and his new pregnant girlfriend, Ye-jin, Dept. Head Choi, Seol-hee's manager, Dong-hee, and all the awesome parents. Thank you for showing us a glimpse of your life and giving us important cautionary tales. You won't be forgotten.

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I loved this drama ❤️❤️❤️. Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won were such a cute couple and they were also hilarious.

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I think I've been burned by too many kdrama endings because I fell for the Ae-ra dreamed everything fake out lol

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I was cofused, the three of them played it off really well.

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Sigh just like real friends to mess with you the day of your wedding. ahahah

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Me too! It got me confused whether the proposal actually happened!

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OMG, me too! I had my doubt. I thought it might be true that all of the things didn't happen, and they're going back to square one.

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I thought it was not only cute but also rather interesting, becos it makes u think, what if DM and Aera never got together, then both of them would have missed out so much.

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With all the mixed-genre trends going on these days, this show is a breathe of fresh air in dramaland. So I'm happy that it got the ratings that it deserves, and done pretty well from the beginning until the end. I would pack it up into my rainy-day-watch folder where I would visit once in a while whenever it rains (rainy days are perfect days for kdrama marathons).

This is not perfec, but I liked the writing so much, because it feels like it was well thought out. The little hints and details throughout the episodes are wonderfully done, since I feel like the show knows where its going. I tend to turn blind eyes on tiny qualms I have over the show, since I pretty much enjoying the ride. Thank you Fight My Way, for giving me a feel-good romcom where there's no murder, fantasy, prosecutors or good-looking psychos (except Moo-bin of course).

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Even if I totally could have done with a scene of the wedding or their future children, or even more kiss scenes (and another four episodes honestly), I’m pleased with the ending! I’m a sucker for happy endings—life has enough sadness, so there are times I’m glad fiction decides to deviate from reality and be a bit more simple and idealistic. And the ending was so fitting for the drama as a whole; not too sugary sweet, but playful and happy. This was one of the most feel-good, fun dramas I’ve had the pleasure of watching, with a trope I enjoy in theory but rarely see played out in a satisfying way. The proposal was my favorite part of the finale, but SH slapping JM during it and AR thinking it was all a dream comes close behind. I actually enjoyed how HR finally decided to be decent and give up, I mean I’m sure she’s always known AR came first to DM anyway. I’d rather have all these morally questionable or dislikable characters redeem themselves than them stay petty and awful. Some might think it’s a simple solution, but it’s a simple solution I can get behind. Also, the secret parentage side-plot turned out really well and emotional, I really enjoyed that, too.

I haven’t been this emotionally attached to a drama and characters like this since I binge-watched Another Oh Hae Young, and I wasn’t able to fully get over that drama until this one *sigh*. Guess I’ll be waiting for another one to tug on my heartstrings. I adored all of the actors and their portrayals, but this is easily PSJ’s stand-out and favorite role to date for me. DM is just such a loveable male lead, so dorky and so blunt when he wants to be, and I need more soft male leads like him. And AR and SH were absolute gems, and I even came to like JM as a character and with SH. They were all flawed and relatable, the best types of characters that resonate with you. FfMW will definitely be in my top fav dramas, and I can’t wait to binge watch it with friends!

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"And the ending was so fitting for the drama as a whole; not too sugary sweet, but playful and happy."
Yup it was just the right note for these characters. There's a sort of peacefulness to it. Like a big nice content sigh.

"I need more soft male leads like him."
PSJ protray of Dong Man was great because he was able to be strong, tender, clever, slow, immature and mature. He was complex but not complicated. It was super refreshing.

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With all the geeeeennius heroes in kdramaland, it is nice to have a gorgeous dummy who is so good to the people around him.

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i'm so proud of kim ji-won!! i loved this drama and she did an amazing job with her character, all of them did. i'm really going to miss this show ;;

while i wish we could see more with the ending, it truly did wrap up almost all the questions that were left to be answered the past two eps so i'm grateful for that. overall, this drama was amazing. there was a pt during either ep 11 or 12 were something was bugging me and it wasn't until seol hee broke it off with jooman that i finally felt a shift for me with this drama. she's probably the character i'm most proud of.

also for hye-ran i did feel some sort of pity for her. not because of how her life was going because she was so rude to both dongman and aera, but i can't imagine getting married to someone so powerful that after a divorce you can't even do your job anymore. but at the same time that's who she married so she kind of deserves it, i guess?

the few minutes were adorable, they're getting married ~ i can't believe it's over :(

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Been refreshing this page the whole day for this recap. I loved Fight My Way and Dong Man - Ae Ra have become one of my favourite kdrama couples too! I will definitely miss these two characters and looking forward to Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won's new dramas! Hope it wont be too long before they're cast again!

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Also can't believe its now over :( I was following updates to this drama and waited months for it to air. It finally started airing and now its over :(

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I was so looking forward to Mondays and Tuesdays, but not anymore now :( Weekdays are going to feel so empty and I will def rewatch this drama in marathon soon!

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I really disliked Mondays before FMW but because of FMW it was my favorite day of the week. hahaha
Now I have a soft spot for it because that was when I got to see Dong Man & Ae-Ra. <3 <3

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I suppose there's still Bride of the water god on Mondays and Tuesdays? I've only watched half of the first episode but I intend on watching it now that I have one less drama to watch.

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I'll miss this drama so much, especially Dong Man and Ae Ra. Their relationship, as friends and lovers, is so lovely, I'm secretly wishing they end up together in real life. Haha
But back to the drama, i was overall satisfied with the ending.
The show did what it's good at.
2 Things that I loved:
> Ae Ra not spending too much time hating her mom for her absence. And i loved their conversation in the rooftop. So cute!
> Dong Man - he might become one of my favorite drama character of all time. He might be dumb, but he got a big big heart.
> Nam Il telling Mom that he was jealous is one of the cutest thing in this episode.
> THE PROPOSAL! I loved the fact that he did it inside the ring right after fulfilling a dream, and here he is chasing another dream. ?

The only negative comment I could give is that they let Hye Ran and Tak Su off the hook too easily, but ye. Good thing they didn't spend most of the air time with them.

Haay, thank you Fight for my Way for reminding us to never stop dreaming!!

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Tak Su deserved no more air time :)
I started to feel that way about Hye-Ran, then I though that I'd rather Dong-Man didn't give so much of his life to a total witch, so I was okay with her resolution.
I loved how he clearly planned out that proposal. I was all ready for "Fire", then I was confused, then awww, he's going to do something big for her.

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hear hear on Tak-Su. One of the quibbles I had with this drama was how much airtime Tak-su and his horrible hair received. And I think Hye-ran got her punishment - her divorce from her powerful husband left her unable to work in broadcasting anymore (which I think is overly harsh).

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"Ae Ra not spending too much time hating her mom for her absence. And i loved their conversation in the rooftop. So cute!"
Wasn't that just like Ae-Ra too? I'm glad she gave it some time and then was okay this gesture is how I'd like to start mending this relationship.

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Yes i liked how she patched things up with her mum...and in the earlier ep the awesome writers already laid the groundwork for this by letting us know that Aera had no grudges or angst from not having a mum (when she was lying with DM in bed and said she didn't feel anything much about it cos she had never even met her mum)...so this quick resolution of feelings after the initial shock of discovery is not unrealistic.

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Do people feel like strongest deliveryman is going to be similar to this show cause I'm very excited

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I am actually hoping that! With the push back on the date I was hoping they were looking things over once more.
I'm excited for it and hope it's similar but it's own take.

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Better late than never,
I love Seol Hee's character lately... And Ae ra's narration few ep back while describing her: "Seol Hee is a vast ocean". Beautiful, deep and meaningful.

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The last 2 paragraphs: CLAP CLAP CLAP Thank you for voicing what I wanted to say.
Having said that, there were some minor things that didn't make sense to me in this episode. Firstly, why did they make it seem like DM didn't know about AR leaving the porridge before he left to the army? In the first flashback AR said she was upset that Hyeran was holding her pot and DM told her he'll give her all the rice he had in the house in return and I assumed it referred to the rice she used to make the porridge. Secondly, based on this episode's flashbacks, Hyeran knew that DM and AR lived in Namil villa, so why did she ask her colleague about AR's whereabouts at the beginning of the drama?
And lastly, in the wedding invitations scene, DM says ''trust oppa''. Since when is Dongman AR's oppa? Do Koreans talk like that to their girlfriends regardless of their age or was the staff too tired to notice the mistake?

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I laughed when DM said that, promoting himself to oppa. I was surprised AR didn't smack him for it.

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Oh so it's a common joke there. I was a bit confused when I heard that because as far as I remember AR's birthday is before his, so she would really be the noona here.

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One more thing. I did some investigation and I found out the writer is actually a guy and I'm pleasantly surprised at this revelation. I never would have thought that a man could write such a bold female character like Aera so well, particularly when he comes from such a conservative and at times blatantly misogynistic society as the SK one.
I also looked up the clothes the characters wore and unlike other dramas with poor characters that always wear and use very expensive things, most of F4's clothes were indeed cheap. Talk about staying true to the story.

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wow, that's interesting, I was so sure it was a female writer, because SH and Ae-ra were such great characters :) Haha, I should start to adress my own preconceptions :)

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Fascinating! I sort of feel bad that I never would have imagined it was a man who wrote AR and SH.

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The oppa thing is a Korean gf/bf thing regardless of age. It's often used as a confusion thing in romcoms.
Dong-Man didn't hear Ae-Ra's comment about the porridge. He was going to give her his leftover rice anyway, because he was leaving for the army for two years.
It had been a few years since she'd gotten married, so she was probably just making sure Ae-Ra lived in the same place.
I really liked the costuming in this drama as well!

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@K and @librarianerin Thank you for clarifying things for me!

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Porridge confusion: Ae-ra left a post it note, it fell off, Hye-ran came along and pretended the porridge was hers. Dong-man was carrying rice to give to Ae-ra because he said he promised he wouldn't forget to give her his remaining rice (though this conversation is only referred to, but I think this wasn't played out on screen).

Dong-man oppa: Lol Dong-man throughout the drama has occasionally referred to himself as oppa when talking to Ae-ra. Like when Ae-ra told him the shoes and the bag he bought her were useful, and he said something like 'should oppa buy you another bag?'. I think when DM said 'trust oppa' he was using it to emphasize that he's reliable like an oppa and that AR didn't need to worry about anything haha.

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I’m satisfied with the finale. I think the way they wrapped up Dong Man’s story was good. He was able to beat Tak Su fair and square so that no one could accuse him otherwise and put his family to shame. I teared up for him when he thought back to all the past events leading up to his win. I liked that he won the match with his signature kick in the end, not just with his ground moves.

Getting over his past trauma and beating Tak Su was the main reason why he wanted to do MMA fighting. I can imagine him doing other jobs so seeing him partner up with Coach for the soondae business was nice.

I was anticipating seeing Dong Man in a swoony tux and Ae Ra in a beautiful wedding dress, but the show did not deliver! However, I’m actually okay with that because I want to remember them in their present youth and in their ordinary, everyday clothes. ^^

Glad that Seol Hee’s business is booming! She’s her own boss now. I can see how she has changed and so has Joo Man. I’m okay with them giving their relationship another try. They went through their angsty stage in the past episodes so I’m happy the show left them on a lighter, funny note.

The ending scene was super cute and funny. Seeing the four friends back at the Nam Il bar was lovely. Just like old times. ♥♥♥

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Loved it, loved the characters who really felt like people I know well. I'll miss them and am glad to know they are off on their real life journeys now, still together.

On a personal note, oh PSJ, you talented hunk! Please come back soon ? And LollyPip, thanks forever for Dong Man's perfect nickname, he is such a Moose.

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I don't know if the show is just predictable. I recently asked about how and when Joo-man became the fourth Quad', and the show the question today. They've been quads all along.

Thanks @Lollypip for guiding us (mostly me) on this wonderful journey. I owe it all to you.

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I think JM didn't officially meet DM until their teens. I think it was funny that the kdrama we-crossed-paths-before-as-children-but-didn't-realize-so-it's-fate trope was used on the 3 young musketeers and JM. JM was fated to be reunited with DM.

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Yeah I was confused when they showed that children scene because I remember DM telling JM "I've known you for 10 years and Sul Hee for 20 years", which means they only became friends 10 years later. And Sul Hee and JM met because of DM.

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I really enjoyed Fight My Way all throughout. I think the writing for this show was really refreshing in that it delivered all the romcom expectations but in a straightforward and sometimes unexpected way. I'm also mostly happy with the way it ended (even though I'm not too happy the drama itself has ended lol).

Kim Ji-won's execution of Ae-ra was brilliant. AR's character would have been annoying and overbearing for me if KJW hadn't played her as well. She was able to seamlessly and naturally transition into and across AR's behaviours and emotions (eg. From normal to psycho, or when you compare the differences between her worried crying to her sad crying). However Park Seo-jun and the rest of the cast also did really well too.

I usually can't rewatch romcoms because I get distracted by flaws I ignored the first time round. However I think FMW will be a favourite for a while, as well as one that I could occasionally re-watch without destroying my love for it.

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I love how consistent AR was. The writing knew who she was and didn't try to alter her personality, quirks, and motivations to fit the hero or the plot. Sure, there were times when I felt like the story of AR's career felt like it took a backburner to DM's, but when AR was on screen, she was unmistakeably AR. The AR we got in the first episode was the same AR we got by episode 16.

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It was a nice drama really worth the ride the thing which inspired me is that the way the characters chased after their dreams, having a dream itself is a gift since it's hard identifying what you love and the thing which will make your life complete. In that sense I really envy the leads who had their own dreams and the way they took chances in achieving them. overall the drama was cute and I come to love every characters especially the coach and dong-man's relationship, Nam-il and landlady Hwang, I even liked kyung-ku and strangely I even felt genuine towards Hye-ran she really growed a lot comparing her character form the first episode. So I hope all our characters will have a happy future awaiting them.

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I love that you mentioned having a dream itself is a gift. I also agree with your statement since it's pretty difficult for some to realize what they want to do in life.

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Thank you for the recap, Lollypip. And I admit, I have to say like you: I liked this show more than I thought I would.
Actually, I may even watch it again.
The final made me smile sooooo much!
It was sweet. I liked it.

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I was hoping to see their wedding scene and more cute kissing scenes but really happy with the ending! Hope they win best couple of the year! Gonna miss this drama!!! ???

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If anyone deserves best couple, it's these two! I swear I try my best to never hope for two people to work together in a drama again, as it rarely happens for the couples I love the most, but I'd love to see PSJ and KJW paired in a rom-com again. Their chemistry hit all the right points for me.

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They'll definitely win Best Couple at the KBS awards. Last year they gave it to 5 couples and some of the couples came from fairly unpopular dramas, so if those couples can win it, PSJ & KJW have it in the bag. It will be the second year in a row that Ji Won wins the award hehe

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Thank you for the recap!

Though I don't really want this drama to end, but it's a satisfying ending. To me is a lil bit rushed, as they put a lot of things in the last episode, but I don't have any complain about this drama. All is good. I'm so gonna miss all Dong Man's tshirt statement in this drama. How can he looks so good when he's just wearing tshirt and sweatpants most of the time.

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I agree. I think the second last episode was a bit rushed and choppy, like they had to resolve everything. The final episode was alright for me though, but yeah, it could probably go on until 20 episodes.

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Favourite Dramaland couples:
1) Jung-Hoo and Young-Shin -- Healer
20 Dong-Man and Ae-Ra -- Fight My Way
Both dramas are DEFINITELY in my Top 5 all time dramas.

I have a YT tiny, small, miniature YT channel about my life in Korea and my latest video was about my love for Fight My Way. If anyone would like to support a fellow drama addict, here's the link: https://youtu.be/p1qOjTwLDwc. Sorry for the shameless self-promotion!!

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Thank you so much for the recaps, LollyPip! It was a lovely drama with lovely characters. Even Hyeran and the creepy stalker guy turned out OK. Hoping Reunited Worlds is just as good!

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What a ride it has been! Loved the main gang breaking the fourth wall at the end; they were all adorable!!
The realness (relatively) of this show really drew me in at the start, and I am glad that it has kept this aspect throughout. Perhaps this show was without major ups and downs but what I really enjoyed about this show was the process of trying to go after what you want - really letting go and putting in your all.
I did feel like everything was just a bit rushed this episode, but I am super satisfied with how everything has been tied up. Good job, Show!

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"Perhaps this show was without major ups and downs"...agreed! This is actually the strong point of the show I feel, there are no contrived or unrealistic plot lines or scenarios that make you scratch your head, no one overacting such that IRL you would have thought they were crazy. It's just regular people (though 100x better looking than average hehe...except for Aera's fringe, are they trying to make KJW look ugly??) and hence very relatable.

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Now that it's over, I can confidently say that it's my new favorite rom-com. I could watch this show over and over again and love it every time. I loved this show and Dong Man and Ae Ra. You don't get shows like this every day!

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Mal Sook just can't seem to get a break. Her actress mother was forced to leave her, she lost another mother in a car accident, and her grandfather has Alzheimer's.

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Aww She's so talented though!! Her face when her grandpa pushed her on the swing and she thought it was the boy she liked. Devastating.

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I was just wondering how she managed to film two shows at once! She's quite a big part in The Best Hit and she has quite a lot of scenes in FMW too. A rising child actress, I havent seen her in any dramas before these two.

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Goodbye show!
I wish we'd had more time with you.

I do feel like the ending would have been more satisfactory for me if we'd had more time to resolve the issues, but all in all I'm happy and I will miss this show and its endearing characters.

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also a huge thanks to LollyPip for the recaps, your comments are always on point ;D

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This drama was so endearing with our four friends desperately and realistically trying to make a break in their careers and figure out their tangled love lines as they went along! I found every episode to be extremely well-done and executed just with how each part of the plot unfurled naturally, almost a bit too slowly, which I appreciated because I dislike when dramas present problems and then tie them up in pretty ribbons immediately after. We knew from episode 1 that Dongman, Aera, Jooman, and Seolhee were struggling, and they're STILL struggling all the way up to the finale while catching glimpses of promising steps in the right direction. Life is always going to be just that, struggling as we go along but somewhere along the way trying to find reasons and passions for doing things that will make your heart pound.
One thing I wanted to say was how I enjoyed the title Fight My Way, because our characters have all done exactly that: stand up and fight. Dongman literally as he went into the ring, refusing to be a coward anymore both regarding his fighting career and his feelings for Aera. Aera learned to stand up for herself in the midst of people having to constantly tell her no, she wasn't good enough and never would be. Seolhee refused to play the pretend wife and woman scorned, and fought for her pride as well as her respect for herself. And Jooman went after Seolhee, realizing even things that are old and expected need to be fought for. l am so insanely proud of our fantastic four and how much they've grown as people and have fought their ways through all of the trials in order to get where they are right now. Their friendship to me represents a tree, growing in different branches while their roots remain as one.

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Dear Lollypip, thank you for the super fast and top notch recaps and comments. Your interjections and editorials, along with other beanies' comments on the epi threads, never fail to make me feel like I'm watching these shows with someone who totally GETS IT. Thank you so much for the work, and for walking alongside us in yet another kdrama!!!

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I really enjoyed this drama from beginning to end. It was nicely written and I don't remember ever getting bored. I think I really liked that our characters had to struggle before getting what they want. They had to go through failures after failures until finally they managed to realise their dreams. There was no real chaebols, just regular people. The ending was nice too though a little rushed. Anyway I have really good feelings about this drama and Ae Ra and Dong Man make a nice and cute couple

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I'm sad to see this show end! I will miss the characters. They felt like real people to me, to the point that I was sometimes genuinely worried for their well-being.

One of my favorite things about this show was that it was subtly feminist. Seol-hee stands up to Joo-man, until he realizes what an ass he's been and grovels to get her back. And her story does not end with a makeover or marriage, but success in her plum wine business. Dong-man and Ae-ra are equals who go to bat for each other over and over again. It's a refreshing change from the standard drama trope of poor-girl-rich-chaebol.

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Count me among those who wish we had more time with these guys. I hate that the happily ever after we get in the final episode is so short. Like how cute was the end scene with Dong-man super excited about teasing Ae-ra for the rest of his life. Love them.

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He is a sweetheart. I will miss them too

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I loved loved this drama all through the beginning till... the 15th episode. Not that I hated the last episode, but I felt like so much was cramped into the final episode that everything looked so rushed. That's my only complain at the end of the day. Or may be more like not getting to see these amazing couple every Mon-Tue anymore. May be both. Either way, I hoped we got to see MOREEEE of Dong Man and Ae Ra in an epilogue or perhaps a wedding scene cause I know it wouldn't be a normal wedding and I am sad that we missed all that craziness and madness. Wish it was a 20 episode drama (as originally intended) than 16.

But show, you have been great. Sad to see you go. You did a great job in pulling me back into rom coms cause it's been a while since I enjoyed one rather than dropping it in the middle. And the chemistry between these two!!!!! Ufffff *fanning myself*
And lastly @lollypip thank you for the weekly recaps. Always tuned into read your comments after the recap. ??

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Wahhh! What am i going to do now!!! This is the only drama ive been watching faithfully even though i heard about many other good dramas going on.

Literally till the very end, Dong Man stays the perfect life partner. When he asked her to marry him i screamed "why are you perfect till the end" and i love the eyeroll he did when she didnt unstand what he meant when asking her to marry him.

Also satified with Seol Hees and Joomans relationship or whatever they are doing. The actress who played seol hee is super pretty btw, ive been thinking that for a while now even with her disastrous hair lol.

Another of my favorite part is also the namil and his mom situation, glad it didnt become an angsty end and rven though i didnt like the mother arc, i did like her relationship with namil.

Ugh, park seo jun is perfect and i might go watch his other dramas while waiting for hes next work. Im am definitely a fan now. Might make him my replacement for Joo Sang Wook (whom im missing in dramaland ?)

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OOooOo I recommend PSJ in She was Pretty. He's amazing and keeps improving with each drama.
He also has a hilarious horrible singing moment there too.

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Yes yes! He was sooo swoony in She was Pretty, he was a really passionate guy under his cool exterior and perfect bf. And the man is a clothes horse so he really looked the part of the fashion mag editor. So much charisma!!

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His character started off sort of stiff and yell-y, but later settled into a swoony, sensitive guy. Also, his scenes with Choi Si Won's character in that drama was peak kdrama comedy gold. Not to be missed! He was also super funny in Kill Me, Heal Me.

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Enios! You can watch the Water god bride. I have the feeling it is not sooo fun like FMW.... somehow it doesnt feel funny or light at all, but it is interesting and pretty...

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"Adult characters behave like adults and spoke their minds."
SING IT Lollypip!
Dear Every other Drama Writer Ever, please take note!

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In early other aside. I think the "your mom" joke Coach Hwang made was actually a veiled reference to the idea the he and mom would be dating in the future, so she will be stuck with him for life.?

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THANK YOU @lollypip !! Quality work :)

-Ae-ra and Dong-man I really love them. That proposal was totally them.
I LOVE a good wedding scene but I like the decision to end with the fantastic four hanging out at the rooftop bar. I think the slow wind down on the second part of the episode was great because it was like we were invited to watch a chapter in these characters lives and that chapter was ending with another one about to begin. It was for lack of a better word...nice. :)
-Joo-man and Seol-hee story from beginning to end was ....one more time....realistic. They needed the break up to be able to leave behind their old selves and create new selves that are honest, responsible for their own actions and love each other in a new better way.
-Nam-il and Landlady Hwang's scene together was so touching. I'm so happy they were able to fill each other's hearts for so many years and are both willing to bring Ae-ra into their family.
-Coach accepting the belt was the BEST! They have been on a long journey together and what a highlight. I've been hoping they would end up running the gym together and they are! Togeetthherr forrrevvverr. <3 <3 <3

I love this show and have been re-watching episodes as the show has been going and it is EVEN BETTER the second time around.

Side Notes:
Wait was I the only one who liked Tak-Soo's little wrist grab on his Coach? Or appreciate that he really did care about his hair. That guy kept up with his roots. Don't get me wrong a bit less of Tak-Soo in the overall show would have been better but as an antagonist in a kdrama he wasn't super overwhelmingly in the show. I was far more annoyed at the majority of scene Hye Ran received.
Hye Ran's ending. I didn't need it or want it but it was a good way to end her connection to them. I just don't know what to think about her character overall. The actress was so different in her last scene with Dong Man I mean she even looked prettier. She seemed like a weight had been lifted. That's hard to portray and it made me wonder about this actresses talent. She CAN act so what was with the cardboard villain before was that a directors choice, or the writing or did the actress wanted the contrast to be so stark?

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I've been re-watching previous episodes while waiting for the new ones these past few weeks, so I'm glad I wasn't the only one! This drama definitely has high re-watch value.

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