Heavens please! The leads are getting boring! Close it up already!

Hmm, this is getting tiring, and repetitive! On the other hand, Sol-Jiwan 'confession' finally happened! Sol looked extra pretty today! :) Super thankful for SK's semi-shirtless scene, boy's been hitting the gym quite regularly (infact, he claims to be a gym-rat).. would be a tragedy if we were denied of those abs, yum!

The beanie-dude edits were... weird. Jae-Eon continues to be as selectively-observing as ever; choosing to ignore Nabi's discomfort at the museum, AND proceeding to confess- what effectively implied- he stalked her since ep.1, but homegirl is too infatuated to notice cuz.. fate?
The plot-armor on Nabi is too strong. If a woman strolls into alleyways, gets stalked, gets followed into said-alleyways, falls for the same player again and again.... there is no way she's making past ep 3 IRL.

I'm bored by the leads... It seems the writer chose the love at the first sight arc with Jae-Un knowing Na-Bi before the bar scene...

Do-hyuk should give up. Na-Bi needs to be alone and think about what she wants. The deception in her studies and Jae-Un are enough...

I should be happy for the progession between Sol and Ji-Wan but I don't really like Ji-Wan. Sol deserves better, someone who can take care of her too and not somone who takes her as her personnal sherpa...

The way they handled Kim Min-gwi's case was so ridiculous. A truck of DOM would have been better than this mascarade...

It's clear that Nabi is not confused with her feelings. She knows where her heart is. There’s no 3rd party in this scenario except Nabi’s inner voice (she should consider counseling). She wants assurance from Jae-eon who happens to be not good at communication. They both need space to grow some more or if they really can't do that, they should both dive head first and see what happens. What's there to fear?

On the other hand, Potato boy is having a hard time grasping the word “No”. You can’t push something that is not there in the first place. That look he got when Jae-eon arrived, right there and then, he knows he already lost whatever he thinks he got, and yet he still push it and comes back with blackmailing while sending off Na-bi. The horror in her face was epic.

In the end, I want to see her in Paris with Jae-eon as they watch his mom perform when all things are finally settled.

When I heard the “Do you want to go see the butterflies?” the first thing that comes up to my mind was, he is asking Na-bi to see his butterfly sanctuary.

So Na-bi wore the summer version of the dress she had worn when she had visited the museum/exhibition centre(?). And both the boys happened to see her first time/after long time in that museum.
Jae Un really likes showing his butterflies. Someone please count how many times he has said it in all the episodes. I wonder how Song Kang feels everytime he has to say this.
That Sunbae in that kitten scene totally saw her being like that to his future kids. Lol.
Somehow I am reminded of the ending of Scum's wish regarding this show. (The sex there was even more meaningless than here.) In the end the female lead envisions how she could have ended up with Dori Sakurada and that was okay with her. She chooses to not end up with him and that is okay with her too. I feel Na-Bi might be okay with either ending too.

After assessing the situation in the last episode, the boys now go into battle.
Jae-un, emboldened by the kiss, invades Na-bi's home, her sanctuary and safe haven - and ends up with a bloody nose. Na-bi is not amused and tells him to get lost. Good for her. He retreats, trying to put a positive spin on it by claiming that he now has more time for his art work. Sounds suspiciously like sour grapes.

After the failure of his sweet, romantic, but badly timed confession, Do-hyuk digs in and goes for the siege. He recognizes that Na-bi is at a breaking point and tries to assure her that she has all the time in the world.

What Na-bi now feels towards Do-hyuk is mainly guilt. She worries about hurting his feelings, is trying to be as nice as possible whilst maintaining the distance. Will guilt turn into love? I am doubtful.

Despite being angry with him, Na-bi still has this connection with Jae-un and it is not only based on sex. She does respect him as an artist, by all accounts he is pretty good, even her aunt thinks so. My favourite scene is where Jae-un teaches her metal work. Here they are are close, creating an artwork and it is art again which brings them together after the disastrous workshop.

The bottom line is that Na-bi likes Jae-un. Will they end up together? Maybe briefly. My guess is that they all go their separate ways in the end.

I am even more convinced that Na-Bi is the biggest red flag in this episode. Jae-on does try to talk to her when he comes over to her aunt's place, tells her he fell in love with her at first sight, even mentions about his mom. Na-bi calls him a coward when actually she's the coward here- running away at the first chance, refusing to speak in clear terms. She is not even clear about what she wants from her art and career and her senior points it out clearly to her.
Potato boy may be sweet but it is not like he exhibits much maturity and clarity either. Lying straight up to Jae-on about Na-Bi's feelings is not the best show. Quite frankly, beside the fact that he knew Na-Bi in his childhood and had a crush on her, he has no clue who she is now and has no reason for liking her either- apart from her looks maybe. Na-Bi tells that to him also that he does not know her. This show may even generally be a commentary on people in their 20s. Lack of clarity and communication regarding both romance and career. Who has not been there? Choosing romanticised ideas of mystery, ego/pride and sexual tension over clarity, communication and comfort in a relationship. Frustrating break-ups and makeups/makeouts. Career suffering meanwhile. People usually find their core later on, I am sure JaeBi and Do Hyuk will too.

So we have done the I saw you first so it must be fate trope I see. This from both boys, sigh, how tedious. Na Bi needs to love herself and be alone. Do Hyuk needs to like a girl who likes him back, he is sweet enough for it. Ja Eun wants his cake and to eat it too. Sol deserves far far better than Ji Wan. The most interesting storyline they are sidelining because of a cheating scandal that is none of our business. At least it is only 10 episodes, lol.

"To be honest, I’m tired of both of them."

This line sums up my feelings. I need to watch each episode with the liberal use of the fast forward button.

For me the problem lies with the slow story development and the male lead. I think he's supposed to be mysterious, enigmatic and compelling (a la Seo In-Guk in A Hundred Million Stars from the Sky), but I'm just irritated whenever Song Kang appears on screen.

I can't believe this sparse content still has two more episodes to go. Can we just please fast forward all the staring/waiting-not-waiting? I think I'll have to pick up the webtoon after this drama ends so I can hopefully see what the artist intentionally wanted to do with her story.

Great premise, poor execution. I still love Do-hyuk though, and am glad that Ji-wan finally managed to muster up some honesty amid her confusion.

The end scene is super creepy. It's like the long shadow of Dracula stretching across the floor toward her. "Do you want to go see the butterflies?"
@missvictrix I felt that it was an invitation to sleep with him. Maybe, if he hadn't used "butterflies", it wouldn't sound the way it did.

"Do you want to go and see the stars/moon/flowers/fireflies/traffic?"

See?

I was curious about the “scandal” that has required an actor to appear faceless in the middle of a drama. It appears that a girlfriend claims that he cheated on her, and that’s enough for a career to be ruined. Having observed that two of the most recent scandals were started by people who never met the principal figures in these scandals, I hope Korea has sufficiently draconian libel and slander laws that punish the perpetrators. It seems that in Korea anyone who is hugely handsome/beautiful and talented as well is fair game and there are no limits to what anyone can write or say about them. Actors are human beings too - why must they behave like cardboard cut-outs, with no relationships, never putting a toe out of place, bowing and scraping to the fans? It’s unreal!

Jae Un is no prize so Nabi's confusion surrounding this guy who could potentially give her STD with all the fly like a butterfly stuff he isused to do, baffles me. I don't believe he can change and keeping him as is would be realistic. He probably wants sex again. Do Hyuk is sweet but truly needs to give up and move on. Sol and Jiwan is pretty much why I watch this show but I am scared that Ji Wan wouldn't have enough courage by the end.

I really like Na-bi. I have compassion for her. @missvictrix writes, “Jae-un is completely smug around Do-hyuk, as if he knows the power he has over Na-bi.” Yes. This is a power game. It’s manipulative and somewhat abusive. And Na-bi is involved in it in a way that is difficult for her to make good decisions for herself. She doesn’t recognize her own power or agency. Her belief in her own inferiority is what gives Jae-un the power.

There is evidence for this when Do-hyuk confesses to Na-bi. She tells him ‘he’s a good person’. What’s implicit is that she feels she is not a good person. She feels like a bad person. And feels Jae-un is not a good person either. And so, she and Jae-un seem like a better match (given her feelings about herself).

Still, Na-bi’s rejection of Do-hyuk’s hug gave me a lot of respect for her. She’s strong enough to not run to someone else in trying to deal with her hurt feelings. She has enough respect for Do-hyuk to not use him in that way.

That last scene, the way his shadow loomed over her from behind was creepy as hell. I thought that was done well, like a bird of prey approaching a warbler! No, this was no fate or destiny. My bet is he is stalking her :)

I agree in that he knows she is drawn to him and he seems to relish it. Even when do-Hyuk’s phone call interrupted their kissing he could have said so many thing but instead asked if it’s ok to be doing this. Clearly it doesn’t bother him that she is possibly dating the other guy, he wants her to come to him, when he wants to.

I agree. Are we done yet?. I am tired of this push and pull. girl, dump both men. Focus on your career. Clearly, you are not going anywhere. Focus. Focus. 😇

Another slow episode...womp. The less time our leads spend together, the slower it feels!

I wish Jae Eon had secretly stumbled upon the sculpture Nabi made of him when he was at her aunt's workshop!

Do Hyuk saying Nabi said that she regrets her time with Jae Eon really affected Jae Eon, huh? He started pulling back from Nabi again and even more especially after she told him to forget about their kiss from the night before.

That modeling scene though. Thank you, director! Lol. Highlight of the episode for me.

Okay, so, JE saw Nabi at her ex's exhibit standing horrified in front of her sculpture, but he didnt know it was her at the time. Then he coincidentally met her at the bar (the encounter that made him think it was fate...but he doesn't believe it fate) and that is why he was doubly shocked to find out her name is Nabi because he realized the sculpture was of her? And we are also assuming that Do Hyuk saw the sculpture too and knew it was her from the get-go.

How dense is Nabi to not realize Jae Eon was talking about her when he said he fell in love with a girl at first sight at that museum during a private art showing. Lol girl...guess she was not really listening to him idk.

Come on, show! What happened to the sexy(ish) sex? Beefcake arms? And character development?

I'm glad Do-hyuk grew a pair (finally), but it's so obvious Na-bi has zero interest in him that his whole existence is just so sad.

Bit-na's an idiot. She doesn't deserve Beefcake.

Na-bi is just... gimme a break... I don't even know where to begin. She's infuriating at this point. She should just use Jae-un for his hot bod or at least channel the sexual tension into her work - which has barely progressed in 8 eps. I'm starting to understand why Prof Jerkface is such a, well, jerkface.

Sol and Ji-wan are the most interesting couple, can ep 9 be their solo episode?

My level of irritation with Na-bi just rises and rises. I'm going to have to see Han So-hee in something else to work out if it's her acting or her character. Her hesitancy makes her seem really, really dumb. Like seriously dumb. She has zero presence. Then combined with what little she's actually done on her sculpture, I thoroughly understand why she missed out on the exchange. I actually caught myself thinking, "OMG, she's a zombie" as she walked away having received the notification that she missed out on selection. I also guiltily found myself thinking, "she hasn't majored in art, but in s**". Then when Jae-un asked her to see the butterflies every drama nerve in me screamed, "Noooo, he really is a serial killer." Writer is this how you want me to see it???

@missvictrix Thank you for another great weecap! You've summed up so well how Na-bi is feeling.

I thought this episode showed some emotional growth for Na-bi, where she knows that Jae-eon is not the "right" choice for her and, yet, she is aware of how powerfully attracted to him she is. She tells Do-hyuk as much after his bittersweet confession to her. I feel for her and wish that she had gotten into the study abroad program in order to get some distance from Jae-eon.

Jae-eon displayed how possessive he is over Na-bi, especially now that he sees that he has a rival in Do-hyuk. He was more threatened by him than he let on after he was so smug to him at the guest house. He is not willing to let her go. She told him she was done and broke off their kiss and he even goes over to her aunt's house, pursuing her. By the way, her aunt? What is she thinking? This is not good for Na-bi!

I still don't hate him. He's not a character that is easy to judge and I think if he were a woman, we would be viewing him in a different light. He keeps see-sawing between aggressor and cold-distance. He seems like he really cares for Na-bi but doesn't understand that there is a difference between possession and being there for someone. Do-hyuk is a perfect foil for him. Do-hyuk comforts Na-bi, even as she is crying over another man. But is Na-bi attracted to him? It doesn't seem like it. Do-hyk is what she needs but not what she wants. Jae-eon is what she wants, but not what she needs.

Na-bi knows at this point that what Jae-eon and her have is not healthy. However, he is what she wants, but he can't give her what she needs. Na-bi, you need to be ALONE for a while, just as you told Do-hyuk. Get some distance from these boys (including Do-hyuk, he also needs to give her some space!) and figure out what you need and want. That way, the next time she enters into a relationship, she will get both what she needs and wants. Don't flit from man to man like your mom.

Also, a million high fives to the screenwriters for such a great scene between Ji-wan and Sol! That was such a mature scene and really well-written. Sol told Ji-wan her feelings and I though Ji-wan's words were surprising mature. Sol means so much to her but she's never been attracted to a woman before and feels confused and needs time to sort out her feelings.

NaBi and JaeEun appear to have come full circle .... back to the bar where they met, which leads me to an important question I had then, but forgot to ask. How in the heck was JaeEun supposed to have been meeting a blind date ... SoRi I think it was? All the girls at the flea market in a prior episode wanted this guy's phone number, and he declined, but he agreed to meet a blind date in 1st episode and ran in to NaBi? Hmmmmm .... something's not quite right.

Sigh.. in the first few episodes, I could still relate with the two leads. But boy, how can they drag the plot for so long? I wish Nabi would just make it clear to Jae-eon. "You want me? Then tell me you love me."

Having written that, I remember how some boys can be so indecisive. How could one be with a girl, chasing after her, taking her out for dates, and yet could not even utter the word 'love', or give her the 'girlfriend' title?

I cannot believe they edit out one of the more delightful characters in this series - Kim Min-gwi - for *apparently* doing something in real life that is completely in character with the theme of this TV drama. At times like this, I feel our differing cultural worldviews so keenly! I also think Nabi gives irritatingly mixed messages for young women about whether it's OK to be intimate with a guy they are attracted to. What is with her coy body language (moves head back, looks down) every time Jae un makes a move on her? And then she acquiesces almost as if she can't help it? It seems to be saying girls should always be reluctant... It's also clear Nabi doesn't want a romantic relationship with Do Hyuk and I desperately want to tell her not to hurt him by stringing him along, and that it's Ok to play with Jae un right now. Yes, she'll probably get burned and it'll be awful for a while, but one day she'll look back fondly and remember that hot dude and how much fun it was while it lasted.