Backstreet Rookie: Episodes 11-12 Open Thread

22 July 27, 2020July 27, 2020

by missvictrix

Our store manager and his fangirl get closer this week, with circumstances pushing them together, and a kinship growing between them. But is that just kinship we’re seeing? The presence of a third party starts to shake things up, and it might just be the push our hero needs to realize the gem he’s got in front of him.

EPISODES 11-12 WEECAP

Saet-byul might be mooning over Dae-hyun since Day 1, but she has a long-term admirer herself in the form of celebrity and old friend Kang Ji-wook. I loved the bigger presence he had in this week’s episodes — sure, it was like watching a puppy whimpering when he sighed over how Saet-byul looked at Dae-hyun, but it also made for some enjoyable drama.

Ji-wook is still working as the spokesperson for GS25, the chain behind Dae-hyun’s store, and rather than shoot his promotional videos at a Gangnam branch, Ji-wook insists on going to Dae-hyun’s store. So he can be near Saet-byul. She is now officially… a permanent full-time employee! The reveal around this is quite adorable, with Dae-hyun planning the big moment and generally being sweet and thoughtful towards her.

Shooting at Dae-hyun’s store means hours that Ji-wook can be next to Saet-byul, but it also has some other ramifications. The first is that Yeon-joo and Dae-hyun are forced to interact with each other after their sudden breakup. The second is that Dae-hyun gets a good look at Ji-wook mooning over Saet-byul, and even hears a heart-on-his-sleeve confession that Ji-wook likes her.

This shouldn’t matter to Dae-hyun, right? Except it does, and a great chunk of Episode 11 is watching the two boys compete with each other for her attention. It’s actually really fun for a triangle dynamic — Ji-wook has long been nuts about Saet-byul, but she’s so innocently clueless, treats him like a brother, and openly squeals about Dae-hyun’s adorableness in front of him.

There’s a handful of hilarious moments, but my favorite might be when Saet-byul explains to Ji-wook that Dae-hyun is “almost 30” and thus has wrinkles on his forehead, which is why he wears bangs. Cut to the next scene where Dae-hyun has redone his hair to part on his forehead — incidentally the same exact hairstyle as Ji-wook.

But our show also balances a lot of heartfelt moments with all the funny, and this week we have some touching scenes when Dae-hyun’s parents try to prevent him from finding out about the truth behind his mother’s huge insurance numbers that month. That fails, of course, and there’s even more pathos as we watch him deal with the gravity of what his parents have had to shoulder, merely because of their social position.

Another thing I think Backstreet Rookie is capturing amazingly well is the loneliness of the life of an “idol” celebrity. I didn’t expect our drama to be about this, or to touch on it much at all, but every time I see the rules under which Ji-wook has to live to keep his celebrity image at 100%, it makes me sad. He’s isolated from people, rushed from event to event, and basically denied most meaningful relationships.

We’re also seeing the same thing happening with Eun-byul, who’s put her girl group members in their place, and seems to be gearing up for a buzzed about debut. Even with a side character like her, the drama does a really nice job of showing us just how fragile celebrity is — even as a trainee, Eun-byul has to be careful about every move she makes, every photo taken, and every moment from her past. I love the angle of Ji-wook as the oppa looking out for her, but Eun-byul is also poised to wreck everything she’s built, with the iljin gang forever blackmailing her and ready to tear her down. My money is on Saet-byul saving the day (we haven’t seen a fight scene in a while!), but I’m not quite sure where we’re going to go with this plot line yet.

Speaking of plot lines I’m unsure about, our problematic friend and his weirdo loveline continue this week. I know they’re supposed to be funny, but I’m so tired of Dal-shik that it’s hard to enjoy these scenes. The two are cute being ridiculously in love on the phone, and we know they’re getting set up for a huge and disastrous meeting, but it falls flat for me. I’m done dealing with Dal-shik, bird poop, flies, raunchy webtoons, and everything, and I’d honestly rather deal with the annoying iljin girls rather than have him on my screen anymore.

But what I’d really rather have is more Saet-byul and Dae-hyun acting goofy together, being sweet, fighting through the window, slurping noodles, etc. These two live at exactly the same tempo — contrast that to Yeon-joo, who, at the end of our episodes this week, has changed her mind (again), and goes running to get Dae-hyun back. Is she too late this time? Has his heart changed after everything his family has endured? Has Saet-byul won a place in his heart? I’m voting yes.

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1 Diana Hansen

July 27, 2020 at 7:39 AM

i am voting yes with you! and hes i am tired of dalshik. that whole line is overdone and cringeworthy. i do love this show and so glad Changwook has something positive to show to hopefully erase the show that can't be uttered. he has been adorable with kim yoo jung!

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Mehgann

August 2, 2020 at 2:20 AM

Dalshik and that entire storyline is just SO problematic on so many levels...I just fast forward through it now.

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Bosuji

August 24, 2020 at 8:52 AM

LOL .. Which is the Ji Chang Wook show that you wish 'erased ad cant be uttered".

I have also been trying to cleanse my palate after One of them - however NOT because to JCW at all .. but the mess the script-direction-casting team created .. I felt so sorry that JCW had put in such stellar work into this FLOP.

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2 Hanabi

July 27, 2020 at 8:25 AM

Both of this week's episodes were so much fun starting from their own personal sign language (I thought others understood it too but apparently I am a fool heh), handshake, couple shirts (they are not uniforms except when the puppy wears it), SB hyping up DH's looks just to take it all away with the wrinkly forehead comment and of course them hugging.

They fit so well! They know what the other wants and needs. SB standing up for DH when the office guy was rude (DH was so cool when he didn't let the guy treat him as dirt though) and DH making that cute studying corner for SB wahh

I feel so bad for pup but at the same time, those two are a set and I am sure pup will find a great person too when him being an idol doesn't stand in the way anymore. Fighting puppy!

I knew YJ would want DH back *sigh* She doesn't know what she wants but it is too late now. DH's reaction when YJ went for the hug gave me satisfaction lol He is done with this relationship and why would DH take her back when someone who adores him and who he shares so many inside jokes with is there to him? I don't think he was in love with YJ when they broke up anyway. He got over her way too fast.

I just need the last few episodes to be this adorable with lots of SB x DH scenes. Thank youuu!

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OldLawyer

July 27, 2020 at 10:06 AM

Of course Yeon-joo would want Dae-hyun back when she realized Director Jo's true character. That is because she thinks that she can easily fix what she broke. And we all saw this coming.

Yeon-joo needs to remember that there are more men in the world than Dae-hyun and Director Jo. And then she will also need to be truthful with her mom about Director Jo's character. Her mom does not want her to make a mistake after all- and both of these men would be a mistake for her.

The relationship between Saet-byul and Dae-shik has deepened to the point where they have their own sign language. And the study corner that Dae-shik made for her tells us that sub-consciously Dae-shik is genuinely interested in Sae-byul's future. He genuinely cares for her now.

I think that Dae-hyun was still very much in love with Yeon-joo at the moment that she broke up with him, but between finding out that she had concealed her background (though not just from him but also her other co-workers) and then the damage to his family wrought by her mom was a one-two knock out punch that quickly dis-illusioned him. That is why he could get over Yeon-joo so quickly- when piled on top of the many times she disrespected him. Did he get over her fast? Yes, but that was because of the circumstances. But that does not mean that their thousand days together have no meaning or that he may not feel honor bound to give YJ a chance. So expect some drama here.

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Hanabi

July 27, 2020 at 10:43 AM

I personally think DH was not in love with YJ when they broke up. If their 3 years of relationship was like what we saw in those 10 episodes, he was the only one trying to make it work. He probably thought he still loved her though. If you love someone, you don't get over them in a day and then being unaffected when you see them even if their mom is shitty. Those 1000 days meant a lot to DH and was genuine but this relationship didn't work and between YJ acting as a disinterested girlfriend who is embarrassed being seen with his man and her mother playing with him and her doing nothing, DH got over her without realizing it. YJ's mother coming for his parents was a cherry on top that helped him leaving her in the past. That is my take on his feelings at least.

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3 gem28

July 27, 2020 at 8:26 AM

Can the side guy get the girl for once. I find Ji Wook infinitely more likable than Dae Hyun. I never warmed up to Saet Byuk Dae Hyun as more than friends/coworker dynamic. They work well as non-romantic couple to me. Oh, Eun Byul is in for trouble. Il Jin rumors can effectively end your career before debut and has happened in reality for multiple idols in past few months. So, the only realistic end to her story would be that but I guess Saet Byul will save the day.

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OldLawyer

July 27, 2020 at 9:35 AM

I think that Saet-byul and Dae-hyun make prefect sense as a couple, while Puppy may be smitten but is in no position to date anyone.

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Mehgann

July 31, 2020 at 10:55 AM

In all honesty, how is Ji Wook the "side guy"? Objectively speaking, he's the friend who stood by her side since childhood while she pined over some other guy (who she was realistically unlikely to ever see again) who briefly saved her from injury. He's the handsome, gentle, kind rich actor who loves her for who she is. Dae Hyun is the guy with the less impressive job who still lives with his parents. And sure, she pined over who she THOUGHT he was from their brief encounter, realistically, he could have been a complete sociopath for all she knew. Ji Wook is hardly the underdog her.

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4 Radily

July 27, 2020 at 8:44 AM

I don't think Eun Byul should be worried about the Iljin issue since this is a drama and she was forced into interacting with the bullies so she won't be blamed for that (real life is another matter however) with the bullies getting their just deserts.

She should be worried she had a fake parent sign her contract since that will be the one mistake she did that has effectively cut her career's wings before it even took off. Once that is released, she will effectively be blacklisted out of the industry, also, if her pictures with Ji Wook get released she'll get assaulted by his fans. I can only imagine if Saet Byul's pictures get released too both sisters would get crucified together.

Oh well, I'm just impressed I'm still watching this drama right now with so many narratively useless characters in the mix. And I thought it would be a simple cameo with Puppy but now he's suddenly getting second lead spotlight. What was the point of his character anyway? Ensuring the sisters remain connected and forcing jealousy moments out of the male lead to rush the OTP? Regardless I pray he still has his career by the end of the show.

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OldLawyer

July 27, 2020 at 9:33 AM

Ji-wook was always going to be the second lead- and the iljin gang now has dirt on him. It is also important to realize that his popularity to could evaporate quickly- he only recently became a celebrity. This is why he gets constant warnings from his manger and why he is NOT supposed to date anyone right now- and even in the future will have to be careful about only dating the 'right' women.

Our puppy has a genuine crush on Saet-bjul and has had that crush for a long time- but he too has an ethical problem: In order to have Saet-byul he would have have to give up his career. But he needs to chose his career because it is actually Saet-byul's choice who she will be with- and she chooses Dae-hyun. And it is important to note that she has now had a chance to get to know Dae-hyun as he is, including his drawbacks but also the positive qualities that she had not known before- and which she now sees as being important to her. So this is no longer simply a crush for her, which is why her confession to drunk and semi-unconscious Dae-hyun at the end of episode 10 and beginning of episode 11 is so significant: 'I will help you remember it soon, and then make you remember it every day for the rest of your life' is not just a confession of love but a proposal of marriage. Ji-wook needs to grow up and accept that the choice has been made for him and embrace his good fortune with the knowledge that there will eventually be someone for him other than Saet-byul.

Eun-byul's career may indeed be doomed. We will see how that turns out.

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Radily

July 27, 2020 at 10:41 AM

https://www.soompi.com/article/1409456wpp/kim-min-kyu-transforms-into-kim-yoo-jungs-good-looking-friend-for-backstreet-rookie-cameo

I don't know, I had assumed he was going to be a one-off appearance like the SKY Castle Reference or at most be part of a comedic element where he's the one 'celebrity friend' Dae Hyun thought Saet Byul would never have. To have him even appear in the second half of the show was surprising to me, much less having an arc about the stress factors celebrities have to endure or being part of a love triangle with the OTP.

Also, I don't think you need to worry about justifying the OTP's destiny for each other: no one comes into this drama expecting they won't end up with each other, even if some may hope otherwise (I personally don't, I think Saet Byul needs to solve her family and money issues first before thinking about romance at this stage). After all, after the first two weeks of this show you can tell from the writing this drama wasn't meant for greatness. It's all about how well they execute the romance story to which I say it hasn't really been doing great with all the lame obstacles like the bullies or Seung Joon or Yeon Joo's mother.

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OldLawyer

July 27, 2020 at 11:23 AM

This is not your usual rom-com. It is in some ways a more carefully thought out journey as compared to the usual fare. The normal formula is not being followed and I am glad to see it.

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5 OldLawyer

July 27, 2020 at 9:12 AM

When Dae-hyun grabs Saet-byul and pulls her towards him at the beginning of episode 11 he keeps repeating "Saet-byul don't leave me"- it is in response to an alcohol induced hallucination- but it tells us where he is sub-consciously. Even if he cannot yet consciously admit it to himself she has become important to him. The jealousy which follows in the episode as he competes for her is both logical and understandable. He eventually reaches the point where he can admit to himself that she is not just a special employee but a special person.

Then Yeon-joo arrives at the end of episode 12 to try to spoil everything. She wants Dae-hyun back, but this is simply because she has now finally seen through the scheming Director Jo and his manipulations. Is she too late? I would have to say "of course" but we will see what the show does. At this point I do not believe that she fully understands the gravity of what she herself has done and also how that has been compounded by what her mother has done. What is ironic here is that she will likely find that she is no longer acceptable to Dae-hyun's family. This is likely to come as a shock to Yeon-joo, because as much as she has tried to overcome her class prejudices the idea that she might be "unacceptable" to a family of lower socio-economic status has to be completely alien to her.

Given that Dae-hyun's mom is already basically in love with Saet-byul guess who IS acceptable to Dae-hyun's family (oh, and at his age would not his mom be telling him that it is time to get married- hint,hint, nudge, nudge, wink, wink)?

So. as our final story arc begins we will see Dae-hyun faced with a dilemma: Should he take Yeon-joo back? Do not forget that they were together for a thousand days- he has to feel that he ought to honor that relationship- and he is nothing if not an honorable man. Yet, he also has to face the truth that he actually is falling for Saet-bjul, even if he has made no commitments to her and certainly has not done anything to follow his feelings. Finally, he has to face the truth about where he and Yeon-joo and he stand now that their relationship has hurt his family. Real honor requires facing the truth- that is the ethical lesson here- and this show explores the ethics of dating like few shows have before.

As for Eun-byul and the iljin gang: It is not just Eun-byul who stands to lose here but also now Ji-wook. I do hope that Saet-byul can do something about this- perhaps with Dae-hyun's help.

It was someone else who noted that Dal-shik appears to be self-parody on the part of the original web-toon creator- and episode 12 gives solid evidence for that as he is knocked to the ground by his "Aphrodite". Ethical lesson here: Being a fake Jamaican is a bad idea. It would be far better to set aside such nonsense and be yourself. How about being what you really are- a genuinely romantic Korean? I would like to see that happen.

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Palopi

July 28, 2020 at 6:47 AM

Regarding expectation, I think this drama does well so far with the premise of "young girl liking older man" trope.

In the sense it does like that and you follow their story and it's totally different. They met several times in the past but it wasn't something phenomenal for him which makes his actual interaction to her actually when she works as the part times.

Her adoration to him also isn't much "fate" and "blind love", she was lovestruck by him, then she accidentally see him and adore his kindness, she looks him as a fan and then she impulsively kiss him that makes he thought bad of her. She is back when she already an adult to make he likes her but that doesn't work but that also makes her sees him as this nice man that respect, adore and kind to her. It gives the reassurance that no matter when she saw him, the real interaction that makes she loves him is after they work together in the convenience store, she sae his bad side, his good side and decide to want the best for him rather than what she wants. It play with the premise of young girl x older men but what it shows is how she falls for him again and again because he is a nice person to her and after they becomes friend. The set up wasn't everything about their love. There is no power gap, power play that makes them have to fall in love to be better, they can move as separate but we see how they appreciate and liking each other when they interact in any time frame after being coworker.

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6 Hermione

July 27, 2020 at 5:55 PM

I don't think DH is the type to dwell when a relationship ends. His last girlfriend broke up with him three years ago, becos he was always saving strays, being late and whatnot and he's been with YJ for one thousand days,that's about two years and seven months, five months after that break up, so yeah, he moves on quick. He gives his all in a relationship but when his partner doesn't want him anymore, for whatever reason, he moves on and i think that's because he has no regrets, he did everything he could to make it work and if it still doesn't then so be it. Same thing happened when he quit his job at the head office, he opened a convenience store and moved on, seemingly with no regrets. I feel like DH has a strong sense of self, he knows exactly who he is and what he wants and doesn't try to be anything else. I don't think he's ever felt inferior to YJ or Director Jerk because they are rich, he acts deferential but that's just him being respectful. I was surprised by his reaction(or should i say non-reaction) when YJ came came into the store while he was taking selfies with SB, he looked at her like she was someone he knows in passing, so yep i believe him when he says he's over her, he's probably been over her for a while now and just didn't realize it. And how cute were DH and SB this week, from their personal sign language, the high fives to the shoulder and hip bumps, it was all so adorable and i can't wait for them to finally get together. It's gonna be epic. Wow, this is the longest comment I've ever made on DB and that's a testament to how much I love this show, Ji Chang Wook and Kim Yoo Jung.

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OldLawyer

July 28, 2020 at 9:59 AM

You actually made a point here that I am not sure anyone else has noted: Dae-hyun can move on from a relationship precisely because he has done his best, given it his all and thus has no regrets. This does not mean that it does not hurt when he gets dumped- but he can legitimately say he did all he could so he does not have to dwell on what might have been, and can more easily accept the rejection because, if he gave his best then what more could he have done?

He still hurts but he can move on.

On the other hand, the flip side of this is Yeon-joo, who never had to put work into the relationship and thought that she did not even have to be truthful with him because concealing her family and so forth was so much easier. Now that she sees Director Jo for the worm that he is she wants to go back to her easy relationship with Dae-hyun. But because she has not had to put in the work she does not fully understand the situation- or Dae-hyun. She never had to pay as much attention to him so she does not even really know him. In contrast, in a relatively short time Saet-byul did pay complete attention to him- she even knows his flaws- to the point that she and Dae-hyun have even developed their own sign language.

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7 Kurama

July 28, 2020 at 5:33 AM

I like these episodes. When I was asking myself the same questions of SB about DH using her to make YJ suffering, he was pretty confident in his answer, it was not the case and SB's opinion really matters. I think he really ended his relationship with YJ on the beach.

I really like how DH is a simple and kinda average but the way he cares about people is really nice to watch : with his parents, he was searching for hotels for them or like he phoned to his mum because he felt bad for her, DS who didn't show up anymore so he went to his house, SB who couldn't finish highschool so he will help her or SB's sister who debuted as idol and he gave her a mini cake.

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Palopi

July 28, 2020 at 6:37 AM

yeah, throughout this series, I understand why people like Dae Hyun. In many dramas, I sometimes wonder, why you fall for this guy. DaeHyun that look like a regular nice guy comes off natural and I can see or feel why SB and YJ likes him without him being so over the top "it's about fate" stuff.

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8 Palopi

July 28, 2020 at 6:35 AM

The 2 episode this week is more about the leads and I love it.
I also like how JiWook, EunByul and Saetbyul story become related but it just reminds me about many kpop idol rumour. It's not a brainer that Eunbyul does play with the wrong crowd but it also not the truth that she is bully. She is young, have no direction and desperate to be successful yet she never harmed people. The fight is more of fight but not a bully so I already feel bad for them.

I think YoonJoo and DaeHyun reminds me so much of many other couple. They broke up then one of them wants to come back but the gap already seen and many others.

I also like how they explained why and how Saatbyul end up liking Dae hyun, it start as one struck childish love, then she somehow see him again, took glances, didn't make a move and just admire him from apart, then he impulsively kiss him but then they don't meet again since she went to her aunt. After that, we are here when she actually interact with him and realised his shortcoming. She learns about him and end up admiring and respect him as the adult and as a guy. Her love is something that grows but isn't blind because it start as something that resemble puppy love, then something like fan-admirer and then she kinds gets struck by reality and then accepted that she likes him because how he is now.

If they go with these ships then DaeHyun to Saetbyul also interesting because he has no desire or actually likes her romantically in the previous encounter, it just a passing memory. Even when he knew the present her likes him, he still doesn't have any feeling until later on, after they becomes friend.

In some way, this makes the premise about young girl liking older man is not one note things, it's not a magical fate, it's not about childhood crush, not about spending time a lot but how the girl, likes a man, admire the man, interacted properly when she is an adult and realised that no matter when she meets him, she'll fall for him because he worth it. In the man persective, he met her properly and interacted when she already an adult and he realised his feeling after they becomes friend.

I feel that this is twist than all the assumption of their relationship that called grooming or giving the bad ide but on the other hand, I think this is an example that what you see isn't all the story, just because they have a big age gap, doesn't mean he grooms her or there is some wrong dynamic. Just because she meet him when she is younger and liking him doesn't mean she is whipped for him all the time. I like how natural they actually fall in love in this story.

Sorry if this isn't well written, I am kinda in hurry, hope it's understandable