Yay! 'Cause love isn't just for twenty-somethings. And all those young actors and actresses are still going to need good roles when they get past 35.

Not only are they middle-aged, they're average! No geeeeeeenniuses! A one-two punch!

Another bonus for "ladies of a certain age": We get to picture ourselves in a noona romance of our own with ahjussi fatale Kam Woo-sung instead of feeling like cradle robbers slobbering over idols young enough to be our grandkids. Har!

Thanks Drama gods :-)

Thats what I thought too....On the way to the airport....I miss the drama, might binge watch it......

I was just thinking/hoping the same thing, that the leads are not connected with each other from childhood or younghood or something. It gets rather repetitive, and unnecessary. We get it, the couple are made for each other, but how many couple are like that in real life?

@lordcobol,

LOL! Yeah, considering he was widowed twice... but one died in an accident, and the other had heart disease that even a transplant ultimately couldn't overcome.

On the other hand, he's the same guy who whooped it up in the steamy flick MARRIAGE IS A CRAZY THING. Hehehe.

LOL :-)

I want both too but I think Yoo Ah-In will be good. I watched his previous drama secret love affair; that drama was hot and sizzling....

Just Between Lovers spoilt it for me. Was afraid I couldn't find something for me to move on quickly enough. But I have hope this drama can. The combination of two veteran actors and this screenwriter makes me very very hopeful indeed!

Check out LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL for a lovely depiction of middle-aged married life -- and between grandma and grandpa -- as well as young adults. There's something for everyone.

How sad for them for not appreciating this 47 year old man's natural beauty.
I think he looks great for his age.

My first impression when I saw that promotional picture, 'this guy is gorgeous, '. Maybe those who commented he's not good looking enough are actually not the target audience for this drama.

Really? They are saying he's not good looking? I think he's gorgeous, with a mature sexiness.

He's waaaay more than lovable. He's charming and sensually mature, which is more appealing than "beautiful traits" of any wooden/stiff (pseudo-)actor. Check him out in Marriage is a crazy thing opposite smexy Uhm Junghwa for proof. 😇

Love this chain of comments because Kam Woo-sung is gorgeous (and I might have just unconsciously liked every comment in this post which defeats the purpose, but oh well). Also, Kim Sun-ah is beautiful, and I'm definitely looking forward to this one.

Right on, @kiara! A story about just folks. Now that's revolutionary love!

I jumped for joy when I first read that he'll be back in Kdramaland. He was terrific in THE KING AND THE CLOWN, and I've been a fan ever since.

With this OTP, "intense" may be an understatement. I'm thinking "10-alarm slow burn."

Late-breaking update:

After watching episodes 11-12, it seems that the female lead's own mother did something really bad. So much for my Mother-in-Law from Hell theory.

Thank you @pakalanapikake 💓

At first I thought we will get heart-wrenching melo but so far it is more on a lowkey melo which I hope it will be until the end.

As I put on my wall, one of many things I appreciate with this drama is how it didn’t take a long time to reveal another side of characters. That’s how you write frustrating and not so likeable characters in drama, viewers do not have patient to wait for many episodes in order to understand characters especially the annoying ones - such as Park Shi-yeon's character ( I still can't remember everyone's name), she is the home wrecker, but at times she looks like she has a conscience and it has been revelealed she has her own conscience although at times she is still acting childish. Beween her and Oh Ji-ho's character, I dislike Oh's character more. I understand he feels guilty, but what he is doing just to add more conflicts. He still act like Soo-jin's husband who intervenes with her life. One thing I'm curious, why Soo-jin has so many debts - was it related to her ex FIL, but why she is burdened with it, not her ex husband.

So many awkward moments that I die laughing in embarrasment LOL. I hope many more to come. Sometimes I feel like we are watching cable drama, not public broadcaster's drama LOL.

oof, the scenes between Mu Han and his daughter and then him visiting his father's grave were heartbreaking. There is so much unresolved pain for him that it's hard to not feel it for him. Kam Woo Sung is always fantastic, especially when his eyes are oozing with emotions like in this episode.
I found Kim Sun Ah's comedic acting in this episode to be a bit over the top (the scene where she goes to his apartment at night-- I know it's supposed to be awkward, but suddenly she seems 15 and childish). Elsewhere in the episode, her enduring all the abuse from the wife was painful to watch. Speaking of the wife, I did not appreciate the domestic violence in this episode one bit. I think that there are more tasteful ways to display the wife's anger than with physical abuse. Overall, not the best episode, but Kam Woo Sung is a scene stealer.
Preview for the next one is amping up the sexiness, so I am happily waiting to watch tomorrow's episode :]

@epyc2010,

Thanks for the pointer to the Drama Milk blog. I've also consulted it for GRAND PRINCE, which is not being recapped here at DB. It's been helpful.

Some of the ep. 11-12 comments at Viki were illuminating. It helps a great deal to learn that the title of Mu-han's book is "Alien on Earth." If that doesn't speak volumes, I don't know what would.

I'm not a fan of this pair at all. Unfortunately the guy's greenness shows beside the other actors in this drama and the girl is just annoying. I think I should feel sympathy for her - as well as being irritated by her - and I don't. But part of that is not only her screaming but the writing as well - when she was swallowing that handful of coffeebeans in the hospital to get out of being told off that was just so annoying!

Anyway, I'm waiting for the reveal of the deep-seated childhood trauma that caused her coffee allergy. Probably some coffee-related incident that made her parents divorce? Did it also involve the dog?

I am a fan of this loveline ^^ Yi-deun is bearable for me, she definitely need some spanking but there are some glimpses of nice character trait. I like that she chose to spend the night in jail rather than calling his dad because she doesn’t want their first meeting in police station, and she sincerely feel guilty to coffee boy. Also feel a sense of justification since she got her comeuppance pretty quickly (how satisfying is that lake-drop!) and lost her dream first-meeting-with-dad moment.
In fact, in this drama so far everybody has made their bed and now have to lie in it. Not just the heroine is suffering, but the “villains” too. Like Ji-min, the silver spoon home-breaker chaebol who takes whatever she wants (heck, am betting she got pregnant on purpose), has to face the misery of loving somebody who doesn't love her as much and living in Soon-jin’s shadow. And the ex-hubby, omg, such a pathetic existence…
And yayyyy for having a place to discuss this awesome show!

SHOULD WE KISS FIRST isn't the only show that's out in the cold. The excellent MONEY FLOWER and JUST BETWEEN LOVERS were not recapped, either. GRAND PRINCE isn't being recapped, and I suspect that neither will most of the new ones starting up soon.

There's been a significant decrease in shows being recapped here at DB, which makes me appreciate even more all the shows that have been recapped in the past couple of years that I've been hanging out here. I didn't start live-watching at DB until OH HAE-YOUNG AGAIN aired nearly two years ago. In 2017 I participated in discussions on 35 complete dramas that were airing -- which is a lot for me. It represents a lot of time, effort, and dedication on the part of recappers. Not having DB's detailed recaps is showing me just how vital they've been to my understanding Kdramas in context. (Thanks from the bottom of my heart, guys!)

The recaps provide forums for commenting, too. Without them, there's no single place to congregate and chat. Comments get scattered thither and yon on Open Thread on Fridays and What We're Watching on the weekend, on personal fan walls, and heaven knows where else. One of the things that I really appreciate about DB recaps is that they are organized by episode, which makes them much easier to traverse than the Soompi forums. (My first live-watching and commenting was over there for THE KING'S DAUGHTER in 2013-14. It was my first real sageuk, and only my second Kdrama, and the learning curve was steep. I met the nicest folks, and had excellent, thoughtful discussions. I just returned there to discuss this show and GRAND PRINCE.)

As for the apparent lack of interest in SWKF on the international scene, I can't help but wonder whether licensing considerations have something to do with it. I've noticed that subtitles for various shows seem to be taking longer, too.

Maybe there aren't enough car chases and explosions to grab international viewers who are fixated on comic book heroes.

I'm glad the show is doing so well in Korea. It's encouraging that there's appreciation for veteran actors who can act, and not just teenybopper idols. The fact that it deals with middle-aged folks is encouraging. How else are the first waves of Hallyu stars going to be able to continue acting if there are no roles for them?

I was wondering that too! In the opening scene of ep1, he says something like 'it was all planned' and I am really curious to know at what point the planning started.

Moo-han was surprised to see it was her place, so I am not so sure he knew, although I would be glad if that is the case since have been kinda bothered by all the coincidences. I thought it was the plane meeting that started everything, and the second meeting in front of the court is still believable, but the meeting in the cemetery is a bit far-fetched.
I do wonder whether he kept tabs of her after saving her in the zoo, since he seems to care enough to do that. I also wonder whether he ever regret saving her, or at least feel that she’s now his responsibility, because she wouldn’t have to face all that hardships if he didn’t save her then…

Oops! Late to reply. Please join us, @meowingme!

I hadn't gotten the impression that there had been a relationship between Soon-jin's mother and Kyung-soo's father. Someone(s) above suggested that Soon-jin's mother may have testified in court that she was out of her mind with grief which resulted in her being committed to an institution. Or maybe Mom was a witness to her attacks on Homewrecker Wife #2, and testified as a witness against her own daughter. (Hey! If she didn't, she could have been jailed for lying under oath, obstruction of justice, etc., etc.) That makes sense to me, but I really don't know at this time.

Thanks for this PakalanaPikake - I wondered what it was referencing. I picked it was Japanese, and wondered if it was really well known because I didn’t see a Hangul subtitle on the screen.
This show though. Just when I think i’m over it, along comes another lil hook to keep me there.
Mu Han & Byeol - as much as I was really angry at the way Mu Han kept Byeol alive even though he knew the extent of the suffering, the farewell was beautifully done.
PS - am almost 50 myself, so am loving seeing the reality of middle age being played out - the aches and pains after the bus escape, and every time she tells him he’s a perv 🤣

Loved what Soon-jin did, so cheeky! Yet knowing where the scene comes from added a melancholic tone... I didn't even watch the movie, but recognise this scene after watching a bunch of k-variety shows; it is indeed iconic.
It seems our OTP has bad karma with vehicles ><

Of course I recognised that song straight away 🤣🤣🤣

I adore Mi-ra and hubby and their marriage! And totally think she is using her knowing way to educate hubby on her pregnancy. If not then she is trolling him big time...
Plus she is such a good friend to Soon-jin, love how she cajoles Soon-jin when everybody else "takes care" of Soon-jin by ordering or dragging her around.
As for Ye Ji-won, she's 4D in real live! I've watched her in Running Man, serenading Yoo Jae-sook with a french ballad on a guitar ^^

Oh goodness, so much heartache is in store for our couple (and us...I can already feel my tear ducts getting ready for action).

In 13 & 14, Byeol's arc made me feel so much for Mu Han. There's always something especially tragic about losing a pet that's a part of your family for years. And that line "there's some sadness no one can help you recover from-- you have to go through it all by yourself" being echoed in the episode is so poignant. It's not in Soon Jin's position to "heal" him from Byeol's death; I don't think anyone can do that but himself.

Episode 15&16 got hella real y'all. That cancer-of-doom scene hit me like a ton of bricks. I was like....are we back to early 2000s dramaland?? And you're right, this was billed as a melo and all the "I'm not allowed to love you" and "IDK if I can make it to the cherry blossom festival" clues were sprinkling all over the place so I should've seen it coming, but STILL...ugh. Which made me think-- this show ends in early April (and the show's timeline seems congruent with real-life time)....the doctor's prognosis is that he won't make it to May, and Mu Han promised that he would...what does that mean?? And that ending to episode 16. Ooof, even more added angst and misunderstanding (but is it really a misunderstanding on Mu Han's part of a misreading of Soon Jin about herself?)

I think this week's episodes were extra touching and insightful into the world of dating and loving in the later decades of life. That spiel Soon Jin gave the morning after was moving and perceptive, and Mu Han's reaction was equally great. And then we get his reaction after her phone call. No matter the age, once you put your heart on the line and then (seemingly) gets stomped on, it's going to hurt something fierce. We'll see Mu Han reeling from that pain in the next 2 episodes.

Ahhh, this show is truly something else.

Well, we are halfway through the show, so I guess it was time for the shoe to drop. And yet... I wasn't expecting this development with Mu-han. Which just goes to show how much we still don't know about him.

Just to share this beautiful write-up by USAFarmGirl at Soompi:

"This drama is quickly becoming one of my favorites the true richness of its raw and deep story and the realness in this OTP is like life being poured out in ways you never expected. It's about the most beautiful, genuine and touching look at our very simple human wants and needs. That of touching and being touched not just physically but that which moves and shakes your inner being. Moments of just being loved for who they are and being excepted and understood where they are. Where there are no limits or expectations except in the willingness to be that warm and safe place for each other...

It would seem my feelings about him being sick would to my sadness be true. When I think about how much MH loves SJ and it would seem has for a very long time. In just seeing this man pour out his heart in ways he has never been able to do with anyone else. You could tell it shocked his ex-wife as she watched them in not only that amazing embrace that would move anyone who saw it. But even later when he clasped her hand within his as if to say don't worry I'm here...

I was amazed that even after overhearing SJ talking on the phone and knowing he was hurting inside with every word being spoken. Still this amazing human being didn't let those words close the door to his heart. That moment my favorite, when he shouted over the phone. " DON'T YOU HEAR ME? TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE " dang my heart moved to my throat because I knew he was going to get her and bring her home. He didn't care about anything else just his need to like always reach out, take care of and cover her with himself...

I think I could write all night about this drama it just gets your heart pumping and your blood flowing. You feel as if you're going to bust in wanting to say so much about the warmth you're receiving the love you're feeling. Even in knowing what our MuJin couple will be facing now in the future. Yet I find myself hopeful and maybe thinking like MH don't give up when you just don't know what can happen...

LOVE NO MATTER WHAT AGE OR THE SITUATION, WHAT AN AMAZING AND GLORIOUS FEELING!!!

This is one drama that without a doubt has already given me more than enough..."

Yes, I got the very strong vibe about MH having something to do with SJ's daughter too! I'm glad I wasn't the only one...

But he can't be the main one responsible, because then surely SJ would have recognised him.

So then I thought: what if his wife was responsible and the way she and her family acted to cover it up actually led him to divorce her???? That's why he's been following Sj all along.

This is my current theory.

And second opinions! That doctor didn't sound like he was taking the diagnosis serious anyway. He looked like he was telling him directions to the restroom, he was that indifferent to his sick patient.
First Byeol's passing and now this- I'm so mad! 😤😭