I really loved the first two episodes, besides being so visually pleasant to watch, i’m already attached to the characters. The first episode already had me bawling my eyes out, Park Hye-ryun please stop killing off the main character’s parents in such a devastating way, The actor who played Seo Dal-mi’s father is so amazing, in such a short time he already had me rooting for him

Not to be a NJH fangirl but even with the scruffy wig he looks really cute, I’m glad the wig was short-lived unlike Pinocchio where it took a couple of episodes for Dal-po to ditch the wig. I’m excited for Dal-mi and Do-san to interact next week! Also I love the OSTs, can’t stop listening to it.

I went into this drama knowing next to nothing and was surprised by so many things, in a good way. I had no idea who the lead was and so the directing worked in my favour of eliciting genuine surprise when it ended when I found out that Nam Joo Hyuk was the lead.

This PD continues to surprise me with his style of directing, which is just as beautiful and cinematic as his last projects. I'm also happy to see Suzy in a role that caters towards her strengths as an actor, as light hearted rom-coms suit her the best, and needless to say she is still pretty as ever.

As this is Park hye ran's first drama in a long time that's not fantasy, i'm genuinely excited to see what she brings to this underdog story

The first two episodes were totally good. I teared up and laughed at the same time. The story is developing well and the overall tone of the show is simply good. I am already loving grandma and Good boy too much. I hope they dont make him a typical second lead coz I will have a severe SLS then. I am not much of a fan of Suzy and although I like NJH, kim Sun Ho stealed the scenes for me in these first two episodes. I am already in love with his character more than the leads and I would like to see him developing a friendship with Dal mi.
Kim Joo Hun is shining as the father.
PS: Crushing hard on Kim Sun ho's dimples😍😍😍

I admit I have a very biased opinion regarding Suzy's acting so these two episodes were surprising that I can watch her. Here's to hoping my opinions will change xD

I'm living for Grandma and Ji-pyeong interactions! Let her stay throughout the drama please!

The father's death made me cry. I'm still teary eyed writing this. At the very least, he died believing he would have his family back not knowing his ex-wife took off with their daughter.

I saw a lot of scenes with the flying Korean and English words SFX. I really delighted how the Korean tech industry (including its tech entrepreneurs) already successful thanks to Samsung which already became one of the massive global brands that hitted both the global markets and economy.

I love the quartet made me felt my hearts already kept me so much and I still loved Suzy and Nam Joo-hyuk (post-School Nurse Files season one era) for being among my favorite personalities and I knew they already both real-life successful media and entertainment industries which evolved with technologies. I hope Nam Joo-hyuk's popularity will have my greatest peak once Start-Up already ongoing even his post-Start-Up era/days including his planned projects from 2021 onwards and his continuous media presence including his active endorsements. (I hope Samsung will endorse Nam Joo-hyuk.)

I didn't totally liked episode one although it was better for me in episode to. I don't understand why we are having 85 minutes episodes that spend more than 15 minutes with stills with beautiful colours. I don't know, the path was not exactly correct for me in these first episodes. Even so, Im here to stay because of NJH.

I said this in my wall, but I couldn't understand why Dalmi's mum decided to abandon her daughter once her dad is dead. I mean, I get if the girl decided to live with her dad it's ok, but when he died... she just forgot about her? It doesn't make sense specially when she was so concerned about her daughter's education and Dal Mi has been struggling all her life.

Then, as a Cyrano fan, I really need this time that Cyrano gets the girl.

Thank you for the super-quick weecap, missvictrix!

This was an unexpectedly (for me) strong opening week for a drama I had zero expectations of (very average promos/teasers). The blink-and-miss knitting scene had a huge part to play :D And seeing Yoo Su-bin again on screen after his delightful turn in CLOY brightened up my weekend :)

Show made me realise all over again how much I love Kim Hae-sook! She was such a rockstar in Pinocchio and Hospital Playlist. She's doing her thing here too!

Kim Seon Ho does feel like the male lead in the first episode, but the trailers obviously tell us otherwise. I will be miffed if they force-pair him up with the sister, though. If he has to have a romantic interest, let it be organic please!

I'd love to see more of the geeky and difficult entrepreneurial life, where not everything is hunky dory (although a CODA win is portentous and seems imminent), or bright and smiley and happy. But okay, it's a kdrama.

Net-net, this show has me interested, despite however *completely predictable* it is going to be.

I enjoyed this drama, too. I was a bit reluctant but the first episode got me excited. I'm looking forward to what this drama will bring although I know choosing between Kim Sun Ho and Nam Joo Hyuk is such an arduous task so I'll just enjoy these babies on my screen.

I knew I was gonna get major SLS because of Nam Doreum but just the fact that Captain Dimples is the elder version of it just takes the cake. I haven’t seen much of Nam Joo Hyuk for me to root for him (and I’m still in love with his School Nurse Files character) even if the fact that he knits made me love him immensely. I just want more time spent on Nam Doreum and the girls because gosh he’s such an amazing person. I loved every minute he spent with halmoni and I really wish he would be the male lead because everything in those letters, they’re the ones who have a deep understanding. And Nam Doreum is so uwu.

But the plot is amazing so far and I’m not rating it good just yet. I’ve always loved the dad character actor because the first time I saw him was on It Okay To Not Be Okay and I loved him there. Even in Do Do Sol Sol i like him. And I can’t say that to many actors. He’s just a good actor.

I’m skeptical with the opening week and going in with my guarded heart. I just wish I wouldn’t get SLS cause so far I’m loving Nam Doreum and Kim Sun Ho so so so so so much. And that’s all.

This show is just so picturesque and the color palette is lovely. Didn't expect Kim Joo-hun to be here either, so it was a nice surprise (him being omnipresent is a good thing, right @kdramaswimmer?) but his arc was just devastating since I'm really close with my dad and it hit close to home.

I haven't watched Suzy in anything and the last show I watched with Nam Joo-hyuk was Bride of Habaek, so I'm still on the fence whether I'd watch this live or not though. Still, I'm excited to read the weecaps and the comments!

Thank you, @missvictrix, for the recap and analysis. I agree that the introduction "brings our three characters and storylines together so neatly". They can't help it but be tangled with each other for what grandma wanted to do to cheer Dal-mi. Love the beginning - hope it continues till the end.

The 1 hr and 24 minutes of Start Up was enough to give us a backstory on the FL/2nd FL and 2nd ML. I liked that they showed the ending with NJH's character being a fresh start for our FL. It's a bummer that this is only 1 episode, but it's nice that the show ended without going into filler/unnecessary angst.

Oh wait, this is a 16 episode show?! Jokes aside, good premiere week but I'm sorta iffy on the romance part of the show. Hope they keep it to a good amount that doesn't overtake our FL's arc/journey...

Cinematography is intelligent and Editing is PERFECT.
how well the current story line and flashbacks are weaved together to not to let viewers feel bored or out of the place... as if we are living all these years with those characters right beside them.
My biggest question.. when Sandbox idea was of Dal- Mi's dad who told it to the Female ceo in lift... how - why and who actually used it to make this big company ?
and will Dal Mi get to know abt it and also will get to feel proud on how great thinker her dad was.

Second.. Dal Mi has great problem solving skills, which was evident the way she handled the crowd. And i am sure she got it from her father who was so sure abt mobile phone being the new big thing in future.

So i hope she gets what she deserves and what her dad couldn't.

This is a story that has heart- you can see that right from the start. In this way it reminds me of I'LL COME TO YOU WHEN THE WEATHER IS NICE even though it is going to be a much different story.

This drama sucked me in and kept me up until 2 AM to finish the second episode.

Did anyone catch the reverse of the Cyrano De Bergerac scenario: Instead of Ji-peong writing letters at Do-san's request he is writing them for a Do-san who does not even know that this girl exists. And, straight out of a fairy-tale- the final scene of the second episode is when Dal-mi and Do-san finally actually meet at the Networking Party- which will have to substitute for a ball in this story- but the cinematography at this point definitely gave us a fairytale like scene.

And, also giving our story another fairy tale twist: Ji-peong had told them that it was not in his power to get our struggling San-San company into the Sandbox. They had desperately entered an AI competition even knowing that their odds of beating out their competitors was probably a million to one. It turned out that, even as buggy as their software was it was in fact still significantly better that of the other entrants: They won. This means that they are now automatically qualified- on their own merits and without anyone else's help, including Ji-peong's, to enter the Sandbox.

And let us not forget that little bit of schadenfreude in the second episode: It seems that Dal-mi's mother now regrets dumping Dal-mi's father as her new husband cheated on her and she now refuses to live in the same house as "that jerk".

Park Hye-ryun really knows how to write crack. I loved the premiere. This is such a fresh twist on the story because in any other drama, Ji-pyeong would've been the lead in the classic mistaken identity. But now Dal-mi's relationship with Do-san is the ultimate meet-cute where he'll fall in love with her through her letters.

The childhood backstory won my heart. Nam Da-reum is amazing, and Ji-pyeong and Halmeoni is my favorite relationship. She saw past his insolence and took him in. I cried when he hugged her at the bus station "Call me if you're having a hard time," then during their reunion "Do you have nowhere to go?" I wonder why Ji-pyeong and Dal-mi stopped writing letters to each other after a year. Heo Jung-eun is all grown up (I'll always remember her fangirling over Song Joong-ki), and I can't wait to meet Kim Kang-hoon.

I love Suzy as Dal-mi when she dealt with the JKN fans like a boss at the teahouse. I don't like In-jae. Like mother, like daughter, both so materialistic. So Dad was the inspiration behind the name Sandbox? Thanks a ton for the weecap, @missvictrix!

Lol is it possible to watch a Kdrama just to look at someone? Nam Joo Hyuk! ❤️

For people in the tech industry, how close is the depiction in this show to the real tech industry?

I was not expecting anything. On paper it looked so boring. But after watching 2 episodes... I kinda... liked it? Maybe. I am not sure if I can survive 16 episodes of it without FF most of it. Kim Sun-Ho and Kim Hae-Sook were the best of it, she is so charming since Hospital Playlist. Everything else was a bit boring for my taste.

God, Suzy is so, so pretty.

I’m liking this. I was confused on whether I missed out on who is the male lead as KSH really shone through and I’m liking him a lot. And our male lead never appeared till really late but woah when he’s all cleaned up and in that suit and that walk - NJH I like it :) love a drama when you love both male leads and they are both different but yet equally delicious (ha!)
Suzy is very pretty and I don’t see why that can’t be praised. She looks very natural and just God gave her that face and us mere mortals can only lament. I think she acted pretty well for this 2 episodes. I actually teared up in her conversation with grandma about her wanting just one day to show off and how she can’t lose to her sister because that would meant dad was a wrong choice. My heart ...

I'm not liking this show as much as most of the people here. Perhaps because I was expecting more of the technology and startup world but not getting much of it. There are also too many plot holes that it's hard for me to connect with sthe story. How can a mother and a sister can just neglect the younger sister, especially when they are in position to help? What's with the anomisity between these sisters who were supposed to be very close when they were younger. And how is it possible that a smart capable woman keep self sabotaging her relationship with any potential suitors just because she can not move on from her childhood pen pal? One that she never even met?

Frankly I think all these background stories are not really necessary. Surely they can create enough tensions and conflicts between these characters without needing to link them all with childhood tragedy? The tech and startup world are still not commonly featured in kdrama. There are so many fresh and new angle they can explore. Why start with such overused drama tropes?

Sorry for the long rant. I actually don't hate the drama. I think the acting so far are on points and the cinematography are just gorgeous (those pink cherry blossom 🌸🥰). The glimpse of tech/startup talks that we got in the first few episodes are enough to make me want to continue. More of that please and less of the tropes...

I really like Han Ji Pyeong and his relationship with grandma. And as much as I have nothing against him, I can not help but wait for Nam Do San to show his lovely face. I dunno I love a good underdog story.
Right off the bat, I am rooting for Seo Dalmi and Nam DoSan to succeed.

At this point i’m rooting for more scenes of Ji Pyeong and Halmeoni together. I want moarrrrr they’re so cute together!

Jang Young-Sil, AI's voice is Yeo Jin-Goo!

Acting wise, I love seeing Seo Yi-Sook (Mago in Del Luna) and Kim Hae-Sook (Grandma). They are absolutely fantastic.
But probably I'm the only one who wasn't so into this drama here...
I was expecting more fresh and new plot/story but it was just an old cheesy Rom-com kdrama to me... I didn't feel real.
I kept thinking, why can't Ji-pyeong tell Dal-mi the truth about the letter...?
And he didn't visit Grandma at all until now?
Dal-mi's mom and sister are the same. Mom met somebody super rich and moving to the US.
That's so Kdrama cliché... And they forgot about Dal-mi?
Even 14-15 years ago, there was email. They didn't even come back to Seoul once for that long?
It looked like sisters cared about each other. They stopped contacting because of hair-pulling fight?
Mom and sister are living a nice rich life while Dal-mi is struggling.... Makes no sense.
And Dad had an accident and died (did he?) on the bus...
These kind of stuff happen only in makjang drama.

I'll watch more because of Nam Joo-hyuk and Kim Do-wan.
Hope it will get better!

Ever since Itaewon Class, I've not felt my heart skipped a beat for any dramas after that. Not until I watched Start-Up. Can't wait for the next ep to air.

loved these episodes so much. Love that the writer took 2 separate episodes to fully ground the leads AND supporting characters instead of trying to start off without that foundation like a lot of dramas do. Love that their usage of fate as a plot point is not too far-fetched like most dramas that use it. The narratives so far have already made my cry more than most dramas have done accumulatively, even though I did think Nam Ju Hyuk's little quibble with his father dragged a liiiiittle.
I actually appreciate Suzy in this role so far. Nam Ju Hyuk has just been getting better. I was fond of him but he really won me over with The School Nurse Files. I would literally lay my life for his loose fitting half sleeve shirt look with his naturally pink, flawless-but-not-retouched skin in that drama. Kim Sun Ho is warm and endearing and this show better not taper off towards the end like some Netflix romance dramas have done lately.
Really rooting and waiting for this drama!

Surprised this is an Open Thread and not full recaps. Regardless, I appreciate having a place to post about this drama, as I very much enjoyed the first two episodes.

My OTP is Grandma and Ji-pyeong.

I love Kim Sun ho and Kang Hanna and like Suzy and NJH in certain roles. Both Suzy and NJH are good here, but I have a feeling I'll like pre- makeover Do-san more than post.

What a relief!
I am invested in this drama in a more all-in way than others because it is written by my favorite drama writer so I am overjoyed to see (I have not watched the episodes yet) your giddy recap @missvictrix. And the comments from Beanies here.

I like the premiere week. Grandma and Jipyeung's relationship is 💗.

Kim Seon Ho! Kim Seon Ho! Kim Seon Ho! Can he remain as Grandma's accomplice and not fall in love with FL?

Visually and with its BGM, it reminds me of Her Private Life and WWW: Search.

Like beanies mentioned, it's a bit too long. I actually watched majority of the eps at 1.5x speed.

After 2 episodes, I'm kinda surprised that Nam Joo-Hyuk is the lead and not Kim Sun-Ho. We know more about Ji-Pyeong than Do-San, and for now, I'm way more curious about him than Do-San. I love his relationship with the Grandma, I need more of them!

The story is very kdrama-esque for now, with the mean mum and sister who want to be rich, the kind father who is unlucky, etc. The cinematography is beautiful (the slow-motion with Suzy coming out of the toilets was weird)

Otherwise, my issue with Suzy's acting is not that is bad but I don't see any difference between the characters she played.

I had low expectations for this, but when I finally decided to watch it I was pleasantly surprised. Much better so far than I expected, almost enough to make it onto my MUST WATCH list (I need at least 4 episodes for that).

Just watched this and oh no...i'm gonna get SLS aren't I? 😭

Suzy's so radiantly beautiful. Anyway, I watched the first episode, looking forward to the second. Not sure how many of the episodes are out right now, but it looks good!

I enjoyed the heck out of the first two episodes! The tech start-up world as a backdrop to k-drama magic really worked for me, and I already love Halmoni and Seo Dal-mi. Not sure how I feel about Dal-mi and Nam Do-San just yet, though I think I preferred him looking all cute and scruffy, lol.

That said, I did have one major problem with the plot setup: who splits up siblings like this? I don’t know anything about family law is South Korea, but most countries don’t leave custodial decisions to minor children! Also, how come neither of the non-custodial parents showed any interest in the daughter not living with them? With Dal-mi in particular, she’s essentially orphaned by her father’s death, and the mother doesn’t think to take her to America as well? Whatever.

(Aside: I really like Kim Sun-Ho in this. He seemed familiar, and then I realized why. The dimples and the Obsessive Tech Bro haircut are just like Hyun Bin in MotA, lol).

i LOVED this premiere!!! i havent loved a premiere like this in awhile. i think you put it in such great words- i feel emotionally connected to each character already.

ugh and fake do san's story with the grandma and the letters was so freaking cute and heart warming. i can feel second lead syndrome creeping on

i cried like a baby during the first episode...the dad :(

i'm rooting for real do san and dal mi. i just want them to be happy and find success lol

also really loving Kim Sun Ho in this. i fell for him and his character in strongest deliveryman and he's kinda making me fall for him all over again. there's just something about his deep voice and the way he delivers his lines makes me all giddy lol

Definitely digging this and all of its sweet moments, all of the flaws pointed out in the comments aside. Nice contrast to real life in this time of pandemic....

watching ep 1. that mom is such a selfish bitch. if you want more money, then go to work, duh. lazy ass woman.

Ok. I am late to this party but will comment anyway. I personally do not hate the sister, while she seems to be set up as the antagonist, I actually think her choices were the more realistic one. She is painted to be a b* but that has always been the unfair depiction of women in a corporate setting - that if a man is assertive, vocal, and blunt - he is perceived to be a kick-ass boss, but if a woman behaves exactly the same way, she is called a b****. The FL on the otherhand, I don't get why she is hung up on those letters and the boy behind it, and why the need to antagonize her sister in a public setting, plus, why pick a one-sided fight.. her head is in the clouds...

Now I hope the next episodes will change that but right now I am rooting for the second leads more plus halmeoni.

I dont yet care for Dal Mi much. I do care about the boys.
Wouldnt it be insane if actually Grandma was the one who ended up with the biggest franchise (penpal in a bird box?) Plus food biz. Showing it is never too late to make it big.