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Itaewon Class: Episode 3

Itaewon proves itself a tough neighborhood to break into, and our hero reflects on how to best support his new business. Struggling in the midst of bustling businesses can be demoralizing, and desperate times are calling for desperate decisions from the Danbam staff. A straightforward promotional campaign leads to a chain of unexpected events, and our hero finds himself entangled in even more challenges and old enemies.

  
EPISODE 3 RECAP

Sae-ro-yi and his Danbam bar staff prepare for business, and Sae-ro-yi summons them for their pre-open ritual. The chef, MA HYUN-YI (Lee Joo-young) asks if they can skip it this time, but hall staff CHOI SEUNG-KWON (Ryu Kyung-soo) scolds her to follow orders. They stand together and stretch to the national warm-up song. Ha!

At a high school, a bully harasses a classmate and takes a sleeping student’s pen to write on the victim’s head. The sleeping student, Jo Yi-seo (the person who consulted the therapist in the first episode), wakes up and takes out her phone to take a video of herself, and then pans over to the scene of the harassment. She posts the video on her social media, and it goes viral, with loads of comments condemning the bully.

Yi-seo scrolls happily through her comments, and we see a classmate following her. He introduces us to Yi-seo, a social media star and blogger who transferred from New York last year. She excels at everything — sports, school, music, art — and is considered a genius with her IQ of 162. The classmate, JANG GEUN-SOO (Kim Dong-hee), seems smitten with her and thinks she looks like an angel.

A shrill voice yells for Yi-seo in her neighborhood, and Yi-seo casually approaches this raging woman, who’s the wealthy mother of the bully that Yi-seo exposed on her social media. The mother slaps Yi-seo and berates her for incriminating her daughter. Then, Yi-seo turns and asks Geun-soo if he caught that on camera.

Geun-soo nervously nods and narrates, “With the face of an angel, Yi-seo had the personality of the devil.” Yi-seo warns the mother that she may need to escalate this further because that slap stung. She rubs her slapped cheek and starts laughing. She implies blame on the mother’s poor parenting, and when the mother tries to push her, Yi-seo throws the mother’s hand away.

Yi-seo approaches the mother and threatens to share the video with her daughter’s future college, future company, and her future in-laws. When Yi-seo gets to the potential of the bully’s children, the mother erupts in anger and raises her hand to strike Yi-seo again.

Then, someone intervenes and stops the mother — it’s Se-ro-yi. He tries to de-escalate the situation, but Yi-seo uses that window to slap the mother. Hard. Everyone looks shocked, and Yi-seo nonchalantly calls it a counter attack. Geun-soo explains, “Yi-seo is also a sociopath.” Yi-seo tells Se-ro-yi to mind his own business and goes on her way, with Geun-soo right behind her.

Se-ro-yi catches Yi-seo before she boards her taxi, and he scolds her for hitting an elder. She reminds him that he doesn’t know the situation, but he insists that she was in the wrong. Her voice trembling, Yi-seo claims that her father died because of that lady, and that hits home for Se-ro-yi. He lets her go, and Yi-seo rolls down the window of the taxi to admit her lie. She sticks her tongue out at him before the car drives off, and Se-ro-yi looks annoyed.

Irritated by the interaction with Yi-seo, Se-ro-yi slams his fist on the table at Danbam. Chef Hyun-yi assumes it’s because they have no customers, but he explains that he met a psycho earlier. Seung-kwon immediately asks if she was pretty, which earns him a disapproving look from Hyun-yi.

At school, Yi-seo gets scolded for hitting an elder, she asks why that’s not okay. She wonders aloud if she needs to tolerate an unfair beating because the woman is an elder and the wife of their district head. Before Yi-seo exacerbates the situation, her homeroom teacher ushers her out of the office.

At Jang Ga HQ, Geun-won presents his idea for a Jang Ga dating app to draw more people to their low-performing Itaewon bar. He credits the success of their Hongdae and Kondae Jang Ga bar to their popularity as hook up sites. President Jang asks Min-jung for her opinion, and she admits that she’s not sold on the idea. He then turns to Soo-ah, and she opposes this idea.

Geun-won’s smile drops, and Soo-ah explains that the Hongdae and Kondae Jang Ga bars happen to be popular for hook ups because of their location, not because it was the company’s intention. She thinks that framing the Jang Ga bars as hook up sites would ruin their brand’s merit for quality food.

Geun-won argues that this is an outdated perspective, but Soo-ah says that most importantly, hook up bars don’t suit Itaewon. Defensive Geun-won reacts angrily, but Min-jung agrees with Soo-ah. Advertising their bar for hook ups seems ridiculous, since that’s more on brand with clubs and lounge bars.

President Jang agrees with the criticisms and asks Geun-won if he knows the average age of customers in Itaewon. Geun-won doesn’t seem to know, so President Jang lectures him on the demographics of Itaewon: Due to the higher housing rates, young people in their late twenties and early thirties who live comfortably tend to live in Itaewon. He questions whether these bougier people would come to a bar looking to hook up.

Geun-won seems to shrink nervously as his father approaches him with more chastising words. President Jang rips up Geun-won’s proposal as he asserts that taste, ambience, and quality are the priorities of their Itaewon customers. He says that they need to win over customers with their food — not with his trash proposal.

President Jang reassigns the Itaewon bar management to Soo-ah, and when Geun-won meekly tries to reclaim his area, President Jang slaps him in front of the whole room. President Jang further mortifies his son by reminding him of the deficit over the past three months. Geun-won hangs his head in defeat, as President Jang calls him incompetent.

After the meeting, Geun-won asks Soo-ah if she has a grudge against him, and she responds that his proposal was bound to get rejected anyway. He warns her to pick the right side, since he’s in line to inherit the company soon. He smugly predicts that his father doesn’t have many years left leading the company. Soo-ah asks if he’s sure that he’s the heir, and she leaves him with her skepticism.

President Jang seems to ponder the same issue as he looks at the photo of his two sons, the younger one being the sociopath’s follower, Jang Geun-soo. The younger Jang son looks through his social media and smiles at Yi-seo’s posts. In one of her photos, he notices the caption indicating that she’s at the Jamsu bridge.

As Se-ro-yi walks through the subway station, he sees a Jang Ga advertisement with President Jang’s face. He remembers the last words he exchanged with President Jang — that convictions and ambition are viewed as stubborn and foolish by those with nothing — and clenches his fists in anger.

At Danbam, Hyun-yi’s patience runs thin as she repeatedly teaches Seung-kwon how to work the register. She yells at him for being an idiot, and Se-ro-yi confirms this as he enters his bar. Hyun-yi points to a large box that was delivered earlier, and Se-ro-yi says that he ordered this for marketing purposes. They all look inside the box, and his staff look slightly confused.

Geun-soo arrives at the Jamsu bridge on his scooter and finds Yi-seo. He interpreted her social media post as her call for his deployment, but she denies this, calling him a stalker. Looking out from the bridge, Yi-seo asks Geun-soo, “Have you ever thought, ‘It would have been better if I wasn’t born.’?” Geun-soo respond that he never has and asks why she would think this.

Yi-seo says that everyone dies eventually, so she finds all the studying and effort tiring. Geun-soo jokingly asks if Yi-seo came to the bridge to die, and Yi-seo responds that she’s too precious to die now and suggests that they go for a ride. Geun-soo has plans to meet a hyung at a club, and Yi-seo invites herself, despite his objection.

Geun-soo feigns reluctance and tells Yi-seo to grab tightly onto his waist. When she wraps his arms around him, he can’t help but smile. They ride to Itaewon, and a young boy chases after his basketball on their path. Geun-soo stops abruptly and manages to avoid an accident, but the sudden stop flings Yi-seo into the air.

Nearby, a person in a promotional chestnut (“danbam”) mascot outfit passes out flyers, and upon noticing flying Yi-seo, the chestnut runs to catch her as she falls. The chestnut head rolls off, and we that it’s Se-ro-yi, who hits his head on the ground but absorbs the impact of Yi-seo’s fall. When he sees Yi-seo, he immediately recognizes her, and his concern flips to annoyance.

After checking on the startled boy and mother, Geun-soo checks on Yi-seo, who head butts him with her helmet as punishment for almost killing her. Se-ro-yi points to the two familiar students accusingly, but before he can do anything, his eyes roll to the back of his head, and he passes out. Geun-soo and the surrounding crowd run to him in concern while Yi-seo observes apathetically.

President Jang meets with Soo-ah and marvels that 10 years have already passed since they first met. He recalls their first meeting and blithely mentions that it was after Geun-won killed Manager Park in a hit-and-run accident. Soo-ah seems unsettled by this casual acknowledgement, but President Jang knows that it’s not news to her.

He mentions Se-ro-yi’s Danbam bar in Itaewon near the Jang Ga bar and asks Soo-ah if she knew this. She explains that she didn’t mention it to him because it’s a bar too small to compete with them. Then, President Jang asks what side she would take if the same situation as 10 years ago unfolded again.

With some hesitance, Soo-ah astutely responds that she belongs to the Jang Ga family, and President Jang is pleased with her loyalty as a return his investment. After confirming Soo-ah’s loyalty, President Jang dismisses his Danbam and trusts Soo-ah to handle her friend.

In the emergency room, Geun-soo tells Yi-seo that Se-ro-yi thankfully didn’t have any head injuries, but he collapsed because he was overworked. Se-ro-yi slowly opens his eyes jerks away when he realizes that he’s at a hospital.

Se-ro-yi looks around for his chestnut suit, and Geun-soo explains that they left it on site because of the emergency. Se-ro-yi laments that it was expensive, since he had it custom-made, and Geun-soo offers to reimburse him.

Putting on his chestnut suit shoes, Se-ro-yi grabs his bag of flyers, and Geun-soo asks if he runs a shop. Se-ro-yi explains that he’s promoting his Itaewon bar, and Yi-seo comments that he’s old-fashioned. Out of genuine curiosity, Se-ro-yi asks Yi-seo how people promote these days, and she responds that he can post ads online or on social media, though the success of such campaigns depends on how decent the bar is.

Se-ro-yi thanks her for the advice and starts to head out. Geun-soo tries to stop him, since the doctor suggested more rest, but Se-ro-yi says that he’s busy. Geun-soo confirms that he’ll pay for the hospital bill and apologizes for the trouble. Se-ro-yi says that if he’s so sorry, he should visit the bar. He hands Geun-soo a flyer with a smile and leaves the hospital.

As they leave the hospital, Geun-soo tells Yi-seo that Se-ro-yi seems like a clean and decent person. Yi-seo says that she would have claimed much more money for the accident, which proves his point. Geun-soo answers a call from his hyung, who yells at him for being late. He promises to head over as soon as possible.

Geun-soo suggests that they rain check on the club, but Yi-seo is still in. Yi-seo takes a longer look at the flyer and remembers Se-ro-yi thanking her for the promotion advice, since he just started. That seems to affect her, but she rips up the flyer and throws it in the air as if she doesn’t care.

10 years ago, young Yi-seo nervously waits to receive the baton from her classmate in a relay race. Her mom roots for her on the sidelines, and Yi-seo tries to catch up the girl in front of her. She reaches out and pushes the girl so that she can win the race, and Mom stops cheering when she notices this. Yi-seo looks pleased with her win, but the rest of the audience disapproves of her cheating.

Mom hears from Yi-seo’s teacher that her daughter is excessively competitive and shows signs of sociopathy, which should be discussed with a therapist. Mom approaches Yi-seo and unexpectedly praises her great performance. Yi-seo can’t believe that Mom would endorse this behavior and accuses Mom of having an unresolved trauma through which she fulfills her unsatisfying life through her daughter’s achievements.

Yi-seo’s accusation also earns her Mom’s praise for being so smart, and Yi-seo is perplexed by Mom’s response. Mom says that she won’t scold Yi-seo for this because she doesn’t want Yi-seo to live an unsatisfactory life like her. She explains, “Everyone will think and judge from their own perspective, so ‘good’ and ‘bad’ are ambiguous. But standards for excellence are clear because you’re marked by numbers.” She holds Yi-seo’s #1 stamped hand as reference.

At the club, Yi-seo dances freely as she narrates, “I understood what you meant and how much you loved me, Mom. I understood it all. I’m an ordinary person, but I was born smart and pretty. Acceptance to a prestigious university, getting hired at a big firm, living a successful life… plenty of people will fail even if they put in the effort, but I can achieve this if I try. The endless desire for success, the ensuing effort… the damn effort — I’ll likely be tired until I die, which is why I wish the world would explode instead.”

Geun-soo and his club hyung (cameo by Yoon Park) watch Yi-seo dance, and the hyung asks what Geun-soo’s relationship is with her. He responds that they’re just friends, so Club Hyung says that he’s going to pursue her. Geun-soo stops him and admits that he likes her and that he just realized this now, so Club Hyung retreats. Yi-seo happily waves at him, and Geun-soo waves back at his crush.

In front of Danbam, Hyun-yi and Seung-kwon try to feed a stray cat, and they bicker about why the cat isn’t eating — if it’s Hyun-yi’s poor cooking skills or Seung-kwon’s face. Lol. Se-ro-yi finds them outside, and they ask where the chestnut costume went. Se-ro-yi brushes it off as a vague situation and asks why they’re outside. Obviously, they have no customers.

Club Hyung brings Geun-soo and Yi-seo to eat at the Jang Ga bar, citing many recommendations. Geun-soo sheepishly suggests that they go elsewhere, but Yi-seo, amused by his discomfort, insists that they go inside. The server asks to check Yi-seo’s ID before they enter, and he notes that she looks nothing like her ID photo. They manage to enter, but Soo-ah notices them.

She tests them by asking if they’re all close, and they nod. She asks Geun-soo what his friend’s name is, and he immediately responds that it’s Jo Yi-seo. Wrong. Soo-ah shows him the ID that has a different name, and she tells them to come back after they graduate high school.

Back on the Itaewon streets, embarrassed Geun-soo apologizes to Club Hyung, who suggests that they go eat dumplings. Yi-seo notices another place and points to the familiar bar as an alternative suggestion: Danbam.

Inside Danbam, Se-ro-yi looks at their books and expresses concern about the business. Hyun-yi points to Seung-kwon’s scary face as the problem while Seung-kwon blames Hyun-yi’s cooking. He remembers Yi-seo’s recommendations, and he asks his staff if they’re active on social media. Seung-kwon claims proficiency with an old platform (equivalent to Myspace, heh). Hyun-yi supports the idea of promoting on social media, but their conversation is cut short by customers, familiar faces to Se-ro-yi.

Seung-kwon notices that the customers seem to familiar to his boss, but Se-ro-yi doesn’t go into their history. Se-ro-yi decides to take a gander at the other bars in the neighborhood and tells Seung-kwon to check the customers’ IDs before taking their order. When he looks at Yi-seo’s ID, he can tell it’s fake (Yi-seo claims that the photo was taken pre-plastic surgery.) but remembers Se-ro-yi’s despondence about their empty bar, and he decides to serve them anyway.

Walking around the neighborhood, Se-ro-yi notices that many bars are packed or even have lines out the door. He remembers a section in President Jang’s autobiography about the foundation being more important than marketing — that the reason for success and failure can be found in the business itself.

At Danbam, Geun-soo notes that Yi-seo hasn’t taken any pictures yet, which is unusual for her. He explains to Club Hyung that Yi-seo is a social media star and usually promotes decent shops on her social media, but this place looks too foul. Club Hyung agrees and asks to exchange social media handles, and Geun-soo looks suspicious of his hyung’s advances.

Walking back to Danbam, he thinks about President Jang’s emphasis on the basics and Yi-seo’s advice on decency. His thoughts are interrupted by Soo-ah, who surprises him with her visit. She explains that she’s supporting the Itaewon location for now, so she can visit him often. She links her arm with his, and Se-ro-yi looks a bit flustered by her proximity.

Soo-ah observes that he seemed deep in thought, and Se-ro-yi shares that he was thinking about how to improve Danbam. Apart from the first month, the business has been in a deficit. Soo-ah offers to look through his accounts, since she’s been trained to identify unnecessary gaps in expenditures.

Se-ro-yi confidently responds that there are no gaps and runs through his list of business management — small floor space and capacity, 25% of sales going to costs, cheaper distribution costs through his connections. He says that the only issue is the high rent, and Soo-ah stops, realizing that he doesn’t need her business advice.

She notes his keen knowledge and asks how he learned all of this, and Se-ro-yi explains that he spent the past 7 years only planning for his business. He admits that he read President Jang’s autobiography multiple times and acknowledges that it was very helpful. Soo-ah looks surprised by the unexpected praise.

Nearing Danbam, Soo-ah says that Itaewon is a difficult place to run a business and asks if Se-ro-yi has considered moving. He responds that he won’t move, and Soo-ah notes that he (his resolve) hasn’t changed at all. Se-ro-yi says that Soo-ah hasn’t changed at all either and says that she’s still pretty. Soo-ah jokes that she probably dresses better now, since she was a bumpkin before.

Then, Soo-ah recognizes the customers in Danbam but decides not to out them as minors. Before she leaves, Se-ro-yi asks if she wants to grab a drink afterwards, and she agrees to meet him later. But as she leaves, she looks back at the underage students and remembers President Jang’s question about which side she’ll choose. She dials the number for the police and admits that she’s actually changed a lot.

Seung-kwon asks Se-ro-yi how the other businesses are doing, and Se-ro-yi admits that everywhere else is busy except for them. Then, Club Hyung orders “Part-Time” to get him a bottle of soju. Seung-kwon freezes for a moment at the disrespect but swallows his pride as fetches the soju with a smile. Se-ro-yi stops Seung-kwon and tells Club Hyung to press the call button instead of making rude demands in banmal.

Geun-soo apologizes on behalf of Club Hyung, but Club Hyung gets belligerent. He asks if their boss taught them to be rude to customers, and Se-ro-yi turns around to confront him. He says that he’s the owner of this bar and has yet to teach his staff that they can behave this way towards obnoxious customers.

Provoked by this insult, Club Hyung pushes Geun-soo aside and grabs Se-ro-yi by his hood. Se-ro-yi takes a few steps back so that they’re visible to their surveillance camera and dares him to hit him there. Club Hyung throws a punch, but Seung-kwon takes the hit after pushing Se-ro-yi to the ground. Seung-kwon says that he can tolerate everything except for seeing his hyung getting hit.

Geun-soo apologizes again and tries to de-escalate the situation, but it’s no use. Club Hyung thrusts himself forward to hit Seung-kwon, but he’s knocked unconscious by Seung-kwon’s punch. Yi-seo looks entertained by the scene.

Se-ro-yi recovers from his fall and tries to stop Seung-kwon, but Seung-kwon flips his boss on the ground. Seung-kwon grabs the pot of soup, and Geun-soo yells at him to stop, since Club Hyung is already unconscious. But Seung-kwon pushes him aside and pours the hot soup on Club Hyung’s leg to wake him up. Club Hyung wakes up screaming in pain and apologizes, but Seung-kwon doesn’t stop.

As punishment, Seung-kwon grabs a bottle of soju to hit the rude customer, but someone breaks through to him, “Hey, you gangster!” It’s Hyun-yi, and she tells Se-ro-yi that he told him so, that Seung-kwon can’t break his habits and should be fired. Seung-kwon drops the soju bottle and immediately apologizes to Se-ro-yi. Yi-seo laughs and wonders if he’s a psychopath.

Se-ro-yi tells Hyun-yi to call the police, but they’ve already arrived. Outside, Soo-ah smokes as she watches the police arrive at Danbam and apologizes, saying that they’ll push their date to another time. Se-ro-yi tells the police that they had an altercation with a customer, but the police claim that be here in response to a report of minors entering the bar. Se-ro-yi starts to refute the statement and then looks to Yi-seo with suspicion. Uh-oh.

Geun-won receives a late night call from Secretary Kim about his younger brother being held at the police station for entering a bar. President Jang ordered Geun-won to retrieve his brother, but Geun-won responds by asking if he has a younger brother.

At the police station, Seung-kwon throws a fit about the two-month suspension for accepting minors. He blames the students for deceiving them and aggressively defends the bar because the business will go under if they don’t open for a week. He knows what Se-ro-yi went through to open this bar, so this feels personal to him.

Se-ro-yi stands up and tells Seung-kwon to stop being so loud. He says that it’s not right to yell at the policeman and asks Seung-kwon if he really didn’t know that the customers were minors. He can see the response in Seung-kwon’s eyes, so he accepts the penalty.

Geun-soo tries to take responsibility for this penalty, since it was their fault for entering with fake IDs. The police officer tells him to sit still and wait for his guardian, but Geun-soo yells that he has no guardian. Se-ro-yi tells Geun-soo that he’s also being too loud and says that being a minor means that he can’t take responsibility. Geun-soo sits down in defeat, and Yi-seo looks at Se-ro-yi curiously.

Then, Geun-won enters the police station. He recognizes Se-ro-yi and laughs when he pieces together the situation. The police officer recognizes him as the Jang Ga Director, and Geun-won puts his hand on Geun-soo’s shoulder, identifying him as Jang Ga family. Geun-soo shakes off his brother’s hand and looks humiliated.

Geun-won also adds that Se-ro-yi was a high school classmate but also notes that Se-ro-yi never graduated. He extends his hand to greet his old friend, and Seung-kwon gets up to defend his hyung from this threat. Geun-won steps in and asks if he should let this one go, and the police officer agrees to this exception, since Se-ro-yi’s is a friend of the Jang Ga Director.

Se-ro-yi closes the police officer’s laptop and shares that his dream was to become a police officer. He admits that he couldn’t hold in his anger and became a convict, which mean he had to give up his dream. He says that police officers need to carry out the law as upright and honorable citizens, and that’s what he respected about them.

He demands to know why authorities move on Geun-won’s command and says that Geun-won isn’t his friend. He denies special treatment and asks the police officer to follow the law. Se-ro-yi storms out, and Yi-seo, looking troubled, follows him out.

Yi-seo stops him in front of the police station and asks why he won’t accept Geun-won’s help. Se-ro-yi says that he would rather die, and Yi-seo assumes that he won’t accept help because of his pride. Se-ro-yi stops and asks why she’s starting this argument, and Yi-seo says she can’t understand his logic. She says that as a businessman, he should learn to compromise sometimes.

He reciprocates her words from before — to mind her own business since she doesn’t know the situation. She acknowledges that she doesn’t know anything but suggests that he tolerate help this one time. Se-ro-yi yells that one exception will inevitably lead to more exceptions, and those many one-time exceptions will change a person.

Yi-seo rolls her eyes and says that this suspension could end his business. Se-ro-yi isn’t worried about the suspension and says that he can just open his shop again. Geun-won applauds Se-ro-yi and says that the naïve Se-ro-yi hasn’t changed at all. He claims to understand Se-ro-yi’s resistance, since he’s to blame for Se-ro-yi’s prison sentence and high school expulsion.

Geun-won laments that Se-ro-yi’s misunderstanding about his father’s death, and Yi-seo looks alarmed. Geun-won leans into Se-ro-yi’s ear and confirms that his suspicious are correct. He laughs, listing off all the ways he ruined Se-ro-yi’s life and pitying Se-ro-yi’s misfortunes.

Se-ro-yi takes off his hood and rubs the top of his head, attempting to control his anger. Geun-won goads him to punch him like he did before, but Se-ro-yi resists an outburst with his clenched fists. Patting Se-ro-yi’s shoulders, Geun-won derides him for his tolerance to protect his small business.

Se-ro-yi grabs his wrist and says that he’s endured 9 years and plans to endure another 6 years for his statute of limitations to expire. Geun-won looks nervous at this mention, and Se-ro-yi shares that his 15-year plan.

 
COMMENTS

The reunion of the two mortal enemies brought us back to the concepts of absolute “good” and “bad,” but this episode seemed to be shedding light on the exact opposite. While Se-ro-yi and Jang Ga Corp are at the tail ends of good and evil, and the rest of the characters seem to somewhere along that spectrum, though it’s unclear where some of them lie. Soo-ah and Yi-seo seem to be the two mysteries on that spectrum, and I wonder what would push them either way.

At first, I got the sense that Soo-ah was hesitant to identify as a Jang Ga person, but her report to the police confirmed where her allegiances lie currently. From Se-ro-yi’s perspective, this would have been the right thing to do, but her intent was to harm. I’m not sure if we’re privy to any pressures she may be under, but it’s interesting that she actively chose to disadvantage Se-ro-yi. She seemed to have the agency to control this situation, and even when no one’s monitoring her, she chose Jang Ga. If this is the person that she’s become — through the multiple one times she’s tolerated — then Se-ro-yi better keep his distance.

Se-ro-yi seems to confuse Yi-seo, and her bewilderment makes sense, given the guidance her mother provided in her youth. To her, good and bad always live in the gray, but Se-ro-yi is so black and white with his values and his life. Their disconnect is rooted in their upbringing, and I’m curious to see whether Yi-seo will readjust her approach to life after interacting with Se-ro-yi. Her sociopath tendencies were left unaddressed and even affirmed through her mother’s guidance, and I wonder if acknowledging the absolute good and bad will rejuvenate her uninspired outlook.

I appreciated how confidently Se-ro-yi responded to Soo-ah about his business. She seemed to be genuinely supportive of his bar, but he clearly doesn’t need her expertise to run his business, which he knows better than anyone. I thought it was even more interesting that he used President Jang’s autobiography as his textbook, and he used it to understand how to build a successful business. Of course, it may also be a part of his revenge plot — to understand his enemy in depth — but he seemed to be using the text as his guide to diagnosing and addressing Danbam’s challenges. It seemed uncharacteristically gray are for Se-ro-yi, but I welcomed the nuance.

I’m most excited to see the Danbam team come together, and I’m interested to learn more about Seung-kwon and Hyun-yi’s backstories. Hyun-yi seems to be sensible one and maybe the only one who can control the crazy guard dog inside of Seung-kwon. Her voice seemed to trigger a switch, and Seung-kwon immediately came to his senses. The deliberate gender ambiguity the drama is using when it comes to Hyun-yi is intriguing as well and I hope we learn more soon. The dangerous and protective side of Seung-kwon showed how loyal he is to his people and how easily he can smell a threat (he basically growled at the sight of Geun-won).

I’m also looking forward to seeing Geun-soo’s relationship with Se-ro-yi and how he comes to join the Danbam team. He’s already won my heart with his puppy love for Yi-seo, and it’s obvious that he’s not a Jang Ga person. He doesn’t seem to associate himself with his family and actually seems like a decent human, so I’m deciding to trust him. Don’t betray my trust, Geun-soo! You’re the only Jang Ga person I trust.

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What's the deal with Oh SooHyun? I gotta say, i never liked her from the start. Something about her and her ways kept bothering me. Thanks dramagods for showing me this side of her.
That said, i like Yi Seo so much

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Sorry, OH SOO AH.
And now I can hate her freely

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Please let Soo Ah be an interesting villain. While I have no problem having a straightforward dark character like Jangga CEO, i always find character that dances between light and dark to be more interesting.

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Ok Soo Ah, so that's how it's gonna be huh? A minor nitpick at how Se-ro-yi and Geun-won just go at it outside the police station which reveals their entire backstory to Yi-seo? I just think it's a bit too convenient and also a bit unrealistic??

but other than that wow, a solid episode. My interest in all these other new characters is peaked, I'm ready to know more. I'm really love how Se-ro-yi's response to everything is just really throwing everyone off ^^ Also when he tells Geun-soo to just sit down because he's a minor and can't take responsibility. Wow, my heart. And how Geun-soo looked back at him?? Wow. Throwback to when he got expelled and his father just took it in stride and took over. Love that.

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Se Ro Yi's responses to everything is what making the show more interesting for me. He's so firm about his beliefs and principles. And then there's Yi Seo, she's so...... sassy and doesn't care about anything rather than her interests.

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Why not? Jang Gun Won is shown to be a moron without an inch of self-awareness and ability to see a bigger picture. He didn’t see Jo Yi Seo as a treat. He was more into rubbing salt into Park Sae Ro Yi’s injury. To hurt him. It’s perfectly in his character. That’s why his dad hesitant to make him a heir. He knows, that Jang Gun Won is incapable of seeing bigger picture.

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Why don't they card Geun-soo who looks younger than Yi-seo? When Soo-ah approached them, I thought it was because she recognized Geun-soo as Jagga's son. I did not know Kim Da-mi played a minor in this, so there better not be a romance between Se-ro-yi and Yi-seo. I doubt Se-ro-yi will get over Soo-ah. When Geun-soo said, "I just realized (I like her)," I blurted, "What!? You clearly look in love with her." How can Yi-seo go to high school with dip dyed hair?

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I think getting over Soo Ah won't be a problem as she's shown her claws so early. And I wouldn't mind if Yi Seo and Se Ro yi fell for each other

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It’s official I don’t like soo ah. I thought I can sympathise with her character but her actions were totally unnecessary. The fact that she’s willing to be Sae Ro Yi’s friend but also go behind his back seems quite manipulative to me. It’s not like she was forced to call the police it was her own will smh. On the other hand I very much like our resident socio Yi Seo who just finds amusement in other people’s pain but for some reason she showed concern in that last scene. Her and Sae Ro Yi will definitely be fun to watch as these two mad people crash each other’s worlds for the better...right?

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Totally official 😂 😂

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Park Sae Ro Yi already pretty nuanced character even without giving credit to Jang Dong Hee. And it’s perfectly in his nature give credits where credits should go. Jang Dong Hee maybe an awful person, but he is good businessman. And Park Sae Ro Yi big enough person to be able to admit it. That’s a deal with Park Sae Ro Yi. He lacks small pettiness and options to see bigger picture in people and with age he also gained more wisdom and patience.
This drama honestly become such a delight for me. I eagerly wait for new episodes, just to experience atmosphere and characters.
Kim Dami’s Jo Yi Seo and other new characters brought with themselves more hopeful, funny and diverse side to the story.
Ma Hyun Yi right now is a guy? At least Choi Seung Kwon’s reaction and how he addressed to him/her made me think so.

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Ah, also can I praise the show for making the guy as wise and righteous voice of reason and female lead as smart sociopath with entertaining and unique nature)))

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Yes

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I love Sae-ro-yi, I think his mindset is really refreshing and sometimes unexpected. Sop-ah is striking a nerve but I do unexpected where she comes from. She lived her whole life in an orphanage, for her its pretty much siding with the strong to survive.

I think maybe that by sabotaging SaeRoYi, she is trying to convince herself that she made the right choice in choosing the « evil » side and by toning down her principles. If SRY succeeds it can pretty much says that she was wrong.

Her and SRY are the ultimate opposites in terms of life choices and I find it very interesting that the drama choose to put this in light with her instead of with another male antagonist. It just add some depth to it.

As for Yi-Seo, I really like her but I’m worried about her sociopath tendencies. I think it makes huge sense that she is interested by SRY. As for a live line between the two I don’t really know even though I really wish so. But sociopaths don’t « love » the same way as other mentally constructed people (I don’t want to say « normal »).

So yeah we will see. I really really like it. I find that even if the trope are known. The execution is totally different. They are going farther and deeper than other dramas and I like that. It’s giving me « NICE GUY » vibes in that aspect.

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Typos everywhere. Sorryyyyyy
Soo-ha
Understand
Love line
Tropes

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i dont think she's an actual sociopath...? and if she is...lol

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It's clear for me Yi Seo is interested in SRY because of his past is playing apart, also she touched by his kindness. But does sociopath has empathy? I don't know if they can handle this kind of sociopath tendencies more accurate and fit with the story. Soo Ah makes much more sense to me, despite her being terrible. Yess. I smell of Nice Guy vibes here too. Might be that's why i like it.

Nd yeah

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Aren't like Sociopaths different from Psychopaths. People always use the two terms to mean the same thing. Like I have read some articles on that and never really understood. Some say sociopaths so feel a little empathy if not much and others say they don't.

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I had thought we were swinging back round to them being the same thing. But traditionally both have little empathy, it's just that psychopaths are more manipulative and outwardly functional. It's sociopaths that tend to lash out violently.

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Soo-ah called the Police against a pub with 2 clients... What will she do when he will be successful...

Geun-soo's character is interesting. I'm curious how he could convince his father to be free. I wonder if his hyung could have this possibility, if he had the courage to do it.

I'm excited to see more interactions between Se-ro-yi and Yi-seo.

I'm suprised to see no issue with the fact Yi Seo is 19 years old and Se-ro-yi around ten years older when it was a big issue for Convenience Store Saet Byul article.

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People do have an issue with it. I for one had no idea this was going to happen and was hoping it wouldn't. So are other people.

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Because there are people who read original story and knows how it would progress exactly. And unlike raunchy CSSB, IC is serious story, that handles 10 years age gap with mutual respect to both characters. How you portray age gaps also matter a lot.

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To be honest, I don't see much issue with the pairing this time. Not only does Sae-ro-yi have no interest in her at this point (and considering we're still in 2015, she'll be aged up later), but the actors are of more appropriate ages. It's similar, I know, but I don't find it squicky at all.

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It's still a 19 year old girl who falls in love with her 10 years older boss.

I don't care personaly. It's just there were a lot of comments about this fact for the other drama that hasn't even started to be filmed. For the appropriate age, they're both adults in the story and the real life.

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That drama is adaptation of webtoon where girl is presented as sexy bimbo and man as mumbling idiot with a lot of graphic images. Age gap between actors 12 years with girl looking super young.
Itaewon Class has mature and smart girl as protagonist who stands on the same ground as male protagonist, who just happens to be older than her. Age gap between actors also 7 years and actress do not look younger than her age. Story progress and pace also shows respect to them as characters and very appropriate.
Perception and respect.
Big age gap couples exist in real life too. For me as long as they’re both adults, have common ground and their relationship portrayed with respect it’s okay.

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It's an adaptation in a korean drama by a PD who already had a big success the last year. No need to be a genius to know they will adapt this part of the story for a public channel. It would be a Japanese drama, it would be different...

I agree the way of the story is told change the perception. But for now nobody knows how the PD chose to tell the love story. And lot of people commenting didn't read any of the webtoon, but based their comments only on the descriptif, so only about the difference of age and the actors.

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Of course they will not add raunchy stuff in drama, but perception and respect for source material makes big difference. If CSSB was some kind of deep, meaningful work with good character development there wouldn’t been as big outrage. Heck, cast that actress from CSSB here and her fans would’ve been happy to have her here with actor who is also 12 years older than her. Because character itself is strong, interesting, nuanced (not gonna talk about the story,because, yes, a lot of people didn’t read original yet). But when you read synopsis and see some images out of original work of course people would already have some negative perception.

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Heck, cast that actress from CSSB here and her fans would’ve been happy to have her here with actor who is also 12 years older than her.

The outrage would've been the same. No one wants to see 1999er Kim Yoo-jung paired with a man born in the '80s.

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Disagree. But neither me or you would be able to prove our point, because there is no way to do it. It’s arguing over air. And, tbh, I think it’s pointless.

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@panshel Her fans want to see it and they've been defending the hell out of it and I fail to understand why they won't see reason.

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this literal teenager in hs is not mature.

that being said, although i find big age gaps useless and shady on part of most men (MOST times, if this is you chill) and bizarre with older women/men or any gender/gender the problem is the frequency in which they are done. it shows what women have to be for men but not the reverse. and that's why people dislike it. it's bullshit, why can't you date women your own age? and there's a reason why younger actress play older women or are with much older actors. and it's gross

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@amara, yeah, like let’s pretend noona dramas not one of the most popular genre out there. Each young actor has at least 1-2 dramas where he acting with “noona” that much older than him or pretending to be younger that she really is. Park Seo Joon himself acted with actress that’s 19 years was older than him and in the script was 14 years older. Then acted with Hwang Jung Eum and Park Min Young and they both older than him, but they pretended to be younger or same age as him lol And all that noona dramas popular as hell with drama watchers; all swooning over them. Funny.

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@woooovooow Okay so I can't tag you but I want to say this. As an Indian I have seen many Bollywood movies and soaps where the older actors are paired up with younger actresses all the time. So I was actually surprised by Noona Romances cause that was new to me. But I am someone who has a problem with huge age gaps regardless of gender. It feels icky to me no matter what. For some people it depends and for some others as long as both are adults age gaps don't matter. I am sorry but I can't agree with that. Like you are 18 and suddenly you are mature enough to date someone 10 years older or more? To me that doesn't make sense. It feels like I won't be on either side of such arguments, so I don't comment on such things but here I felt like saying something after all. Also when it comes to boss-employee, well it hasn't really mattered to me but I want to understand, so that's on me. Yet I do get why people have more of a problem with older actors paired with younger actresses as compared with the other way round. If it was really that simple do you really think people would still have a problem with that? Cause simple it is not. Even if I don't understand everything I know this much. (I am 24 btw)

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@amy1009 u hit the nail on the head. i hate noona romances. also it is true willful ignorance or misunderstanding to pretend that it's as frequent. that's a core misunderstanding of the way the world is working.

it's of note that this is also a thing in the gay community as well. there are so many factors for this in particular. but being a man means things are different in terms of power dynamics.

and you're so right why WOULD we still be talking about this? if it wasn't a big deal? if it wasn't taking advantage of youth and time and devaluing women. saying older women are of less use and moving on to a newer model.

and did you ever think there is a reason why women are in favor of noona romances? even though i disagree with them, actually, like let's just think about why it's refreshing to see. it is WAY less common IRL and for actors. and i am almost positive in SK, just like the US, most age gaps in "celeb" couples are between older men/younger women.

you're trying to make a comparison as if we have the same power and there's equity. there isn't so your logic is already invalidated.

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@amy1009, in my country 18-20 years old marry and have kids already. Mostly with peers. So, do you view them as not mature enough to raise another human being? Or they mature enough to raise baby, but not date someone older? ^^ I’m sorry, that I can’t view a person, who matured to drink and make political choices as a child, that can’t make his own choices. By law and nature they’re adults. And I’m gonna hold them to adult standards. You can have problems with big age gaps and personally prefer someone your age. But what makes it truly strange for you to force your philosophy on others. Judging someone’s relationship in real life, that’s none of our business. Creating big discussions with people online shaming everyone, that they should not enjoy anything, that personally offends you and makes you feel icky (not personally addressed to you exactly). Every person who hit legal adulthood determines their own maturity. Make their own choices. And responsible for their own choices.
And brought noona romances not because they’re something that everyone should love, but share hypocrisy over there being no outrage when young actors get casted with older female from people who against “big age gaps”. And I read to many comments swooning over “noona romances” and creating whole posts discussing younger actors to feel anything sympathetic to people, that claim they hate them, but still find a way to justify big age gaps there ^^ In my opinion it’s two way road, not a gym to practice your magical logic gymnastics xD
And for boss-employee relationship or power-play. I still wonder, how people who see problem with it even find any dramas to be enjoyable. But that theme do not even interest me at all. I don’t view dramas the same way as those people do.

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@amy1009, maybe not date, but 19 years old for me as a person mature enough to have a crush on older guy and like him. And overtime decide for herself if her feelings strong enough, real enough and more than “crushing”. If 19 years old dating her crush is not mature enough, would be 23-27 years old mature enough to date someone 10 years older than her? This is where this drama is going. So I’m interested where is the line in feeling “disturbed” about age rather than actual relationship)))

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Where does one draw the line then? How much of an age gap should I be okay with? Also some people have even argued 16 is the age when we should be considered adults, some think it should be 20-21 cause we are still in our teens otherwise. I have never liked the anything goes approach to things. If something seems problematic then you need to have such conversations. (You saying there is no problem with huge age gaps? I wish we lived in a perfect world where that was true). Also I know like I said we have that too. People get married at a young age here. In our country if a older man marries a woman 20 years older no one says anything. but when the other way round happens then only they will complain. Age is just a number? Really? Sigh. Like I said I never seen to fall on either side of the argument. Cause I actively avoided this topic before exactly because people opinion vary a lot on this. I have nothing more to say to you.

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@GustavHaviwwer While it would be slightly better if she was 23-24, it's still a 10 year age gap.

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@amy1009, you can expect someone drawing you comfortable line, when you can’t give them the same luxury. And just to make it even more clear, I don’t care how you or me personally think about age gaps. I’m talking about not mingling into affairs of legally adult people. By law. You can disagree with age written in that law, but it’s still a law. Be it 30 years old with 50 years old (age gap 20 years) or 40 years old with 50 years old or 20 years old with 29 years old (9 years old gap) or 30 years old with 39 (exact same 9 years old gap). I don’t give a shit about age, because mostly people who swore they have problems with it only concerned about 18-25 years old girls dating guys that older than them more than 5 years and call it “i have problems with big age gaps”.

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True, I don't like boss-employee relationships. I can't stand workplace romcoms because the power imbalance is always, inevitably, skewed. I think this show might not be so easily classified - time will tell, of course, but I'm hopeful that this drama isn't going to fall into those questionable pitfalls.

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I understand. Personaly, I think it depends on the situation. I really liked Radiant Office. The FL was older but they still had 10 years gap and he was her boss. But the story and the relationship were well written.

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I loved Radiant Office! That drama was lovely.

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It's one of the two good boss-employee relationships, because they transcend that relationship and become equals.

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Honestly, I feel like Jo Yi Seo is the one, who bosses Park Sae Ro Yi around xD

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Radiant Office is a good example of the dynamic done right. For me, it's all about the execution.

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You're missing the point of age difference between a 20 year old child and a 25 year old woman. The age gap in the drama is not a big deal if the real life ages of the actors are too big especially when one was literally a child actress her whole life and the webtoon is pathetically sexist to begin with. You're obsessed with the wrong thing and using artistic license since they are both actors and the director has a hit drama so of course they can't say no is horrible reasoning and only proves the misogyny of the industry has permeated into your thinking.

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For me, a 20 year old person is not a child anymore. It's an adult. In KYJ case, an adult who already worked during 16 years.

And I don't remember reading comment about Lee Jae Wook being to young to act in WWW:Search as Lee Da Hee's boyfriend or that Lee Da Hee was a cougar...

Misogyny? Actors are never criticized when they paired with a older actress. But actresses are always told too young to do it. In the both case, it's the actor/actress choice.

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You and I will not see eye to eye because you have imbibed the misogyny into your brain so strongly you want to believe a 20 year old is an adult. Her 16 year career history means nothing when all of it has been formed on decisions made by other people. At 20 her brain is not even medically fully developed let alone her personality and definitely not her maturity. What is problematic is problematic and defending the misogyny of the drama and the people behind it including the actors does not make it go away.

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@amy1009, here is where I disagree with you. While we can argue, that 18-19 years old girl is not mature enough, but 23-24 years old is a woman. At that age she can have more than one child. And that’s actually what I’m seeing around me. So, where is the line of that said maturity, once you pass you teenager hood? Where is the guarantee, that same age relationship healthier, than relationship with 10 years age gap? And why we eager to view 23-24 years old women as “basically still children” or “not mature enough”, but no one would react the same way to 10 years age gap between 33-34 years old woman with 44-43 years old man, when 10 years still there along with all the same generational problem. Not like in 33 we stop growing and leading as people. Just like in 44 or 55.
So, I think the icky idea mostly comes from women being “young” rather than age gap itself. And I personally think, that woman in 23 is not “a child” anymore, she is a woman. Truly an adult. And her relationship should not be people’s concern or talk of the town.

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*learning
Sorry for many mistakes;)

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No that's not what I meant. Clearly 23-24 is more mature compared to 18-19.

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Like I said I would never be on either side of the argument. I will just leave it at that.

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imo it's weird but finding out she was at least....an adult.i guess. i just hate this. irl he's 7 yrs oldr than her so it's a bit easier to swallow. i'm not a fan of age gaps but what would make it more okay would be if dramas didnt do this ALL the time with men older and who are more ~~mentors~~ (not the case here? idk) and she's like incredibly immature. it's so fucking weird and the trope is very obvious

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idk what convenience store seat byul si but of course it's weird literally what the fuck lmao

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thank you for the link! holy shit! i saw this but i think i literally blocked it out. oh man this is upsetting especially with the character itself. this is so pathetic.

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I just hope Geun Soo won't turn evil once he gets consumed with jealousy that the girl he likes, likes Sae-ro-yi. And Soo Ah, I didn't expect we already know too early in the show that she's gonna be a fox.

I'm excited for the whole crew to gather! Park Sae-ro-yi is indeed an interesting ML.

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This show is interesting. I like the character if Oh Soo Ah, she is nuanced, I like that a female character is more complex than just bratty or evil. So I'm with it, I have no idea why the female lead needed to be a minor though, I feel they couldn't have gotten to the point without making her a minor. That being said it is still 2015 in the show timeline, so we will see how it plays out, because she is very interesting.

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It's obviously not great that she's a minor at the moment, but I did notice one interesting parallel - sticking her in a school situation makes her introductory scene in this episode (where she exposes the rich bully easily with basically no consequences) mirror Sae-ro-yi's expulsion. It's a message of hope, I suppose, that things are changing, but it's also sad.

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yea me neither. but she's 24/25 in the real timeline so i guess he's 10 yrs older (which still lol but...)

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I had my reservations regarding Soo-ah. I absolutely seethed at her decision to call the cops. But then I sat back and thought about it and a theory came to me:

Soo-ah loved Se-ro-yi's dad. He was her own father figure. She knows Se-ro-yi has his principles and will never let go of them, as his father taught him but she's no goddy-two-shoes, as she herself mentioned. She brought up the concept of revenge to Se-ro-yi initially when he was in jail and is convinced that Se-ro-yi will NOT seek revenge. She is going off of what he said (he usually never plays around with words), and what she knows of his character. So she is doing it instead. She is getting revenge for Dad. She's doing it from the inside. If getting revenge in the long term means sabotaging Se-ro-yi's business, so be it. She gets another nail in the coffin of her resolve for revenge when Se-ro-yi says he wants to be like President Jang, not understanding his intent. You can see the incredulity in her face.

But of course, this is just a theory. I haven't read the web-toon, so I don't know which way the story and the characters go. Here's to sitting back and watching the story unfold with these amazing actors.

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it'd be cool to do so on the inside but calling the cops is real messed up with a man who has a record. lmao like...there's gotta be a better way (there is)

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I think more in her case she is seeing her own back,she cares and might even like Se Ro Yi but at the end of it she cares for her own well being and the moment she called the cops she made her choice (that was put before her by the CEO)...The sad thing is she knows how Se Ro Yi works and that he won't distance himself from her yet she still stays close to him even when she harms him for her own intrest...Doubt she has the justice mentality,she cares about herself...

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I noticed that Park Sae Ro Yi's bar basically how he feels inside. Right now it's so dark, empty and lifeless, just like how he feels...

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Soo Ah wasn't a good person from the beginning, she just didn't have that much power to act it out in the way for others to recognize it. I hope she doesn't go by lame escuses and says I had to change to survive or thing like that, that's who she was from day 1

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i cannot believe she called the cops. that's actually offensive to me lmao. like girl u snitchin'?

i dont think i'm gonna stick with this show...the editing fucks with the pacing and bOTH female leads are unbearable. how is that possible? i want to skip to ep 8 where things are coming together more i'm sure. it's only on 4 eps so i can expect an excruciating start but i might dislike yi-seo more than soo-ah. which is amazing.

i guess i didnt think about it via their upbringing because i don't really understand the light in which they want to paint her mother...so....but okay lmao. anyways uhhhhh if it gets better maybe ill pick it up again but

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also i think even though i hate soo ah's decisions (and not a fan of the acting) she at least has a reason...a terrible one but she has one.

wtf is yi-seo's life? how does she have ANY friends with that attitude? why is she the way she is? like she was living in the US (why? lol) and she lives in this nice-ass house. ofc you can have trauma but you, a person who gets to sleep on your bed every night, judge a dude with his survival instincts. you have no criminal record, you have a nice home, you have a decent life like if she's soooo genius she could put 2 and 2 together. why write characters like this if you aren't going to make their motives and back stories interesting. she's just there and annoying. learn to write women

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Does we always need a reason for how we feel? lol

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yes that's literally how life works

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No, it’s not. Otherwise depression would’ve not been one of the most common mental health problems among middle class/rich people lol And most people with said depression don’t even have a reason to be depressed in the first place on the first glance.

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that's literally not what i'm referring to and i think it's being deliberately obtuse to say so. i am also a person who has many MIs. with trauma but i dont care. i didnt say she was fucking cRaZy i said she's annoying i dont believe she's a sociopath i believe her ideals are ridiculous and she has no motives and..she's annoying.

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We’re not talking about how annoying she is to you or not. That’s not a point here. You said, that every person with mental health problems should have some problems in their life to feel what they’re feeling, I said no they don’t. No one needs a reason to feel how they’re feeling.

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Your depiction of Jo Yi Seo kinda..off considering what they actually showing. Also, millennials don’t need reasons “life changing reasons” or traums (she didn’t had any traums) to feel off about life. Society and environment makes it easy for us to fall into all possible mental dissatisfaction with life. Actually, no generation or no person needs it. Mental inability to not enjoy life, not not have a reason, but continue to live, because it’s also pointless to die is a common thing in humanity.

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i am a millenial. i feel off about life. everyday.

and i am not saying she can't suffer from a mental illness i am saying that her motives and line of thinking make no sense and have no motive. look, it's a tv show not completely IRL so that means people have resons to be the way they are that needs to be shown. it is the same with anyone, really. your environment, upbringing, whatever, we dont exist in a vacuum. her disposition and misunderstanding of a poor person with a record has nothing to do with whatever her issue is. it's not even about feeling it's about common sense and using your brain.

i cannot express and underline just how much i have been affected by an existential crisis and how much my world changed because of a psychotic break so...it's not like i dont know. lmao i just feel nothing for her.

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I’m sorry, I first thought, that problem might be my limited knowledge of English, but I think I just don’t understand you as a person. Hence I can’t follow your logic, nor what you mean most of time. I read something that you wrote and can’t really connect with other thing. Nothing person, we probably not comparable as a people.
Also. She didn’t know his “record” when confronted him. And changed her attitude the moment she saw, that the lie she pulled off before hit to close to home.
You may feel nothing or annoyed to her. It’s okay. But your characterics of her for me don’t match what I see with my own eyes and brains in the the show, not they match with what you say you experience. I’m sorry, I will it here;) Have a nice day. I’m really sorry)

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She literally confronted him about it outside. Anyway, i dont know what there is to get but it doesnt matter lol. I make enough sense for others.

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I actually find Yi Seo's character doesn't make sense. How can sociopath char tendency has feeling and empathy with stranger and start fallin in love already? They better explain it later or else, I'm not buying her char at all.

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It's probably the distinction between a sociopath and a psychopath, but I'm not nearly clear enough on the terms to say that with any kind of certainty.

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The difference between a sociopath and a psychopath is temperament. Sociopath's act out of emotion, although they are still narcissistic. Psychopaths don't don't react from emotion, not to say they don't have it, only that it is more muted. YI seo is supposedly a sociopath, although I think she is just highly intelligent, bored, and spoiled rather than a sociopath, but we will see.

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I wrote a comment on that above before seeing this.

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yea i genuinely thought what he said when he said "sociopath" was supposed to just be him making fun of her. so if she is a sociopath and not just an annoying spoiled teenager then...maybe they should write better!

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Can someone explain to me the significance of the 15-year statute of limitations (SOL) in the Korean legal system in this context? Was Se-ro-yi referring to the SOL for his own record to be expunged for the assault (so that he could apply to be a cop, maybe?), or for the ruling that was given for his father's case (meaning, is he trying to trap Geun-won after 15 years when he can tried for the crime again??). Just trying to understand the significance of that into his revenge plot.

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he has 6 yrs within the SOL to get revenge i'm p sure

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or "prove it" and it's a 6 yr plan. at the end he'll get him? is my impression

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ok, got it - that's what I assumed, but wasn't sure if you can try someone else for the same crime before, since the gardener was (presumably) prosecuted for the vehicular manslaughter already.

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in my very un-knowledgeable law brain i am jsut guessing that you can but can't charge a person with the same crime. i'm actually pretty sure you can try someone else (ok i hope im right) since the criminal "justice" system messes up all the time ^____^

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I believe he's referring to murder statute of limitation. Outside of that limit, even if he can find the evidence of his dad murder, he would not be able to prosecute GW.

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Why people talk about age difference of other drama? Also frankly, I think this drama gives much more nuanced view on age gap, than most dramas out there. And there is much more interesting scenes and aspects to talk about. Yay, for missing everything, except "age gap". I don't know how people have fun reading books, watching dramas or movies, if everything always so problematic about most trivial stuff.

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And now I will sit here and expect people here to eat me alive for not giving any fs xD

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Dude, the magic of Dramabeans is that no-one is going to start a witch-hunt if you have a different opinion. It's very unlikely, at least.

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lol, is it some kind of hidden type magic? That’s what happens here all the time xD Especially if you like something, that’s being hated here xD But I guess, it’s because I also rarely agree with “best drama” choices presented here by “mighty and perfect” taste of users here lol So, I’m out of “elite club” ^___^

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It's called civility. True people complain. I have, you have. But if this was another site there would be worse arguments. I know cause I have seen it elsewhere, name calling, hating, rudeness, etc. I totally understand you though. I have also liked stuff that has been hated here.

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If by "witchhunt" you mean "people disagreeing with you" then we're known for it.

I'd rather have an argument here where it almost never turns personal then be at a site known for rabid fangirling where any criticism or critique ends with an insane abusive pile-on.

We're known for our civility. We're also known for our snark. These aren't mutually exclusive. People come here because they want to critically enjoy things. I'm afraid uncritical enjoyment isn't really our jam.

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@amy1009, @Fake calling names has nothing to do with place or “critical thinking people, that do not enjoy uncritical joy” (lol), but good moderatory. Good for dramabeans for not letting people get personal, but by “witch-hunting” I didn’t even thought about throwing personal remarks (over drama none the less lmfao), but people pilling up against someone or something. Happens here a lot. Less now. Because there is less people here anyway and this place slowly dying. I came here after 3 years of kinda stopping watching dramas, because this one kinda hit me (especially because I read original) and comments not even half as interesting as they used to be. But still as angry sounding as they used to be and as elitist, no offense;))

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I rarely agree with others see in dramas. The reason I registered on DB was to defend a character that others found "slow" (they were so very very very wrong btw). However, by keeping my discourse civil with the occasional snarky bent, almost all of the time all debate has been interesting, enlightening, and polite.

While there are some instances where someone will go all rabid and "fan-girl" on DB, those times are rare, and they are almost always called out on it.

So, go ahead and disagree, just don't be an jerk about it. :)

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@egads, while I understand your desire to defend your community here, I’m speaking from my personal experience and saying for me how great this place is would not change what experienced))) I do hope you would think, that it’s my fault, though xD But honesty though, that elitist attitude the one, that actually bothers me. I guess I’m just not “critical thinking” enough for this place lol My jam must be “uncritical enjoyment” XD Nothing in between xD

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It's so funny how civility, politeness and friendliness (chingu mode, to speak the language of the elite) is talked about, but non-existent... being on this site is just like being with countless of Soo-ah... doing something and saying the opposite: we are friends here, we say peace, peace, but exterminate the one who has different values and oppinion! And after we finish , we delete the "critical" comment, just like psychopaths are cleaning the crime scene, making it look even more clean and bright than it was before...
I truly hope that this drama will made everyone reflect on these matters!
I came here after a long time to see a change in better, but it is worse... this site is dying, indeed. And yes, Soo-ah, people do change! But for the worse, most of the time, exactly like you!

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let's add up all the movies and dramas with a huge age gap between the characters of men and women and their actors. let's see how many young women, very young who wouldn't probably be mothers at that age, play grown-ass mothers. let's see how many of these younger women fall in love with their older bosses. or more superior male counterpart.

you don't have to care. it's not trivial because it's a constant record and it's gross. there's a reason why we get upset and it's not because we magically made up misogyny. if you read what people say with an actually open mind whether you agree or it bothers you or not, you would know that

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there is absolutely 0 reason why multiple actors are dating women 8+ younger than them especially ones with a imbalance in popularity. there's a reason why age gaps are "taboo" (not really, it's just DIFFERENT) come on now...

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Always though, that saying someone "close minded" makes you the one, who he is "close minded to disagreement". You may see it as a problem, I don't. And I do think some people get worked up about trivial stuff. Disagree with me, keep your philosophy. That's okay with me; just like it would not change neither my or your opinion. Just like I don't see point in bringing drama, that is not even aired. If you talking about age gap, have it in contest of what this exact drama if offering. For me it's like holding a book in your hands but getting into discussing about every other book instead the one, which is in your arms.

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the context is she is 20 he is 30 which is what the drama is offering.

20 + 10 = 30
24 + 10 = 34

so what are you talking about? you created the diversion.

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A place that went collectively crazy over Goblin and gave that drama all kind of award their “made up beanies” award and name their one of their most favorite noona dramas Witch’s Romance that depicts relationship 24 + 14 = 38 would now make huge problem out of 20 + 10 = 30 / 24+ 10 = 33. Irony lol

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@woooovooow Ever thought that maybe, just maybe, the people who liked the dramas you mentioned and the people who have a problem with most age gaps are different people? Or have their reasons for having issues with some and not others? It's almost like this site isn't made up of a collective hive mind but rather, individuals with differing opinions...

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GOBLIN is your example? GOBLIN??? oh buddy...we can tell that you don't pay attention. eff goblin.

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@mindy omg im shook...goblin...HAHAHAHHAAH they really must think we are all One

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I know right of all the things I watched Goblin was the worst offender and I did read comments criticising it here on DB.

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@amy1009

of course! the amount of watchers on the internet and on DB is vast. it's impossible people wouldn't have complaints about that. the same ones who question this. goblin is even worse because she literally acted 5 omfg dont even get me started

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Like even if I ignore her age how can I ignore the fact that she acted even younger. It was annoying.

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I try to avoid the Goblin discussion because some people did love it. But since we're talking about it - I thought Goblin was gross kiddie porn.

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I wrote “place” for a reason lmfao Yes, a place, where Goblin get all rewards. Did you small minority group was against that drama? Aww, good for you)) But majority in this place still made that drama “the drama of the year” without anyone saying anything about major age gap) It’s now in fashion to go against Goblin;)) So much for critical thinking place lol

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At this point you're making negative sense so maybe you should just take a breather.

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@Fake, thanks, but I will ask your critical thinking advice when I would need one ^^

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Don't worry you are not the only one, i guess we are less vocal or don't care about this stuff usually...I reraly make a case in age gaps if it's not THAT evident onscreen (and that the character make it more visible aside from features of the actors) nor do i care usually at actors real ages...Usually i don't bring the real age inside a drama so i don't have a problem with it most of the times...And indeed there are many things going on that would be more fun to discuss and could even say the romance is a secondary element as this isint' the main point of the show...

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Great comments Dramallama!
The show just got interesting! I'm curious about each and every character.

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I'll give this drama one more week, but things don't look good where my interest is concerned. I really don't want to watch two deranged females fight over Sae Ro Yi--that's just not entertaining for me.

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unfortunately i feel this way :(

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If this drama focus on love triangle for the next 1-2 weeks, I'm sorry I'm out.

I'm still hooked though. I hope they can balance it out with their main goal.

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Everyone likes the blonde but I don't at all.
She didn't grow up in harsh circumstances that would explain any of her attitude.

She is a sociopath, I sincerely doubt good company like SRY can change her.
She's more than Sassy, she's arrogant. Her ending line at ep 4 sealed it for me.

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this is what i meant in my above post btw! thank you for saying it concisely.

i dont think she is actually a sociopath i think he was just making fun of her. i mean if she is that's just poor writing. i disliked her more than soo-ah which is incredible...

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I didn't like Yi-seo as soon as her crazy sociopath self ripped up Se-ro-yi's Danbam flyer and littered all over the hospital. Geun-soo better have picked that trash up. I know Geun-soo is blinded by love, but angel where? Yi-seo is an intriguing character, but she's not likable at all.

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She's not an angel at all. Even her goody two shoes actions are self serving. Videos for justice vs helping the actual victim.

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Sociopath is a mental health condition. The brain is wired differently hence the thinking and feeling process may not be within the "typical" spectrum.

You dont need to be in harsh condition or experienced traumatic experience or living a bad life to suffer mental illness.

This is just a drama, so you can always blame the writer/director/actor of making the character not believable enough. But in real life, there are people that don't believe other people condition just because they don't fit the stereotype.

Sorry for the long winding post. I have a love one that is on the autism spectrum and have people told him that he's not (never mind the many professional diagnostic that back that up), just because he doesn't look autistic enough (whatever that means). So the comment hit a bit close to heart.

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It's a drama sure, but I didn't mean her sociopath tendencies in that sentence, I mentioned her attitude.

I extend the same courtesy to the world that's been given to me so forgive me for not being sympathetic to fictional characters.

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Seeing all those comments made me release, that I’m going to enjoy my drama quietly and leave one comment to summon up my thoughts per episode. Because I guess for me there is no place to have some actual fun and enjoyable conversation)))

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If you only want comments that agree with you I guess that's a good idea. I prefer that too.

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*I would have

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I don’t need comments that agree with me, but I much more prefer comments about drama itself, stories and characters, that sound less... intense, I guess. Even when they show disagreement and distaste with my comments, I prefer much more subtle way of discussing;) Probably that’s way I can’t connect and understand half what’s even is going on here;))

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I really don't have anything of great value to add to any of the conversation except that I'm really digging Hyun-yi's look and personality, and always find Lee Joo-young to be a interesting presence on screen. I also hope that the drama continues to go with her queer vibe and doesn't muck it up and give her some unnecessary feminine makeover.

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I adoreeee Lee Yoo-young! She's the reason I'm here - infact, I'm kind of annoyed it took this long to see her!

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I hope she gets much more screen time.

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I find her very cool and pretty!

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Exceptionally so.

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Se-ro-yi’s logic seems to be based in principled justice. I hope he isn’t too terribly wired for revenge, though, that might derail his own life.

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I really like Yi Seos character. Sociopath or not, I find it truly refreshing to see her idgaf attitude. Something I wish I could do since I truly am 100% non confrontational. She does seem to cross the line, but it’s not real life and this drama is based off a webtoon so I find it entertaining.

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Love the twists in the plot. Most of it is plausible. Great writing I must say. Kudos to the writers.

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I really like how the other characters were introduced. The Hyun-yi—Seung-kwon dynamic already looks interesting. Something along the lines of the “Bickersons” (apologies for the ancient reference). Anyway SK is one tough dude. HY is not afraid of him at all. (Mini spoiler. Very funny scene between them coming up in the next episode.)

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i’m CONFUSED someone help me understand why he’s waiting for the statute of limitations??? doesn’t that mean his claim is not able to be brought to court? like??? i’m confused

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He means that he will find a way to prove that Geun-won killed his father before the statute of limitations runs out, and Geun-won can no longer be charged and punished for the crime. For many crimes, there is a specific number of years from when the incident occured and when you still can be arrested and charged for it. Apparently, vehicular manslaughter has a 15 year limitation.

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Also the underlying implication is a threat. He's not just waiting for the statute of limitations because that's his 15 year window to prove that he killed his father. The implication was also that if he didn't prove the crime in that window, he was going to use the violence he was currently holding back. i.e. if you want me to punch you, wait 6 years. I'm assuming he's not going to stop at punching.

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