Those episodes were like roller coaster ride.

Gi-Jeong : She's so different when she's with Tae-Hun or her boss than when she's with her family. She's sweet and comprehensive with them. But kinda cynical with her family, overall Mi-Jeong. I didn't like a comments about Mr Gu's money and how Mi-Jeong was lucky. Her boss is a great character, I would never thought.

Chang-Hee : I understand the feeling to want to drive a car like this at least once but every day in Seoul? I would never took the risk, it's too expensive. So I wasn't surprised by the bump... I understand the reaction of his father and the events showed he wasn't so wrong, Chang-Hee doesn't have the money to change the part and he already lost money before... The foot chase was hilarious with Lee Min-Ki's little screams.

Hyeon-A : her story is pretty Kdrama-esque but I like her character. I wonder if she had feelings for Chang-Hee, because they spend a lot of time together. It was nice that even completely drunk, he remembered and texted her to ask if she was alive and not killed by the angry mother.

Mi-Jeong : When we finally got the kiss, they separated them >_< It hurt her more than she showed. She has all these thoughts but when she's at work, she can express herself. I really want to see her fight back a little bit.

Mr Gu : It was frustrating that the person who hurt him the most was the one who should be his friend... His enemy, his ex-boss let him alone. But his friend invaded his personal space by visiting Yeom's home. He made emotional blackmail like without him, they're nobody.

The separation and time jump have intervened pretty soon, so they have several episodes to make a great end! (A happy one if possible)

The scene where the wild dogs were caught and caged as Mr Gu drove himself back to his imprisonment was a meaningful juxtaposition. The wild dogs have been a representation of Mr Gu himself, he fled his previous life and found solace in Sanpo like the strays in the open area. The separation, even though predicted, was still heart wrenching to witness. From someone who was always suppressing her feelings and afraid to speak up, MJ has just started to find her voice and learned to express her emotions. I feel both sad and glad to see the way MJ accepted Mr Gu's decision and compromised. Surely she doesn't just want a meeting once a month or two, a phone call every so often but she was afraid of asking for too much, in this regard she's still her reserved self. It was her way of saying "I won't be a nuisance or cling onto you, let's keep seeing." I'm really hoping, cheering for MJ to get everything she deserves and much more. I'm glad that MJ's grown enough to accept the decision without resentment and she was able to express how she felt with honesty. She even wished him well, something she wasn't able to do with her exes. The break up was inevitable, Mr Gu can't escape from his hell forever, sooner or later it'll catch up to him. During the hike at the beginning of episode 11, MJ and Mr Gu walked on their journey together separately and shared an embrace at the top of the hill, their final destination. Similarly, I think it's time for them to face their own battles and grow separately before they can meet and be together again.

Sigh... I'm judging the production team because we really deserved to see that kiss 🙄. The funniest moment in these episodes had to be Gu chasing Chang-hee 😂

I don't think I expected Chang-hee to lie but for some reason I was really happy that he did not claim to be the owner of the car when he was driving it around. The car was a good escape for him but it's now time for him to go and face his day to day problems. I hope him and Hyun-Ah find each other, she's such a sweet soul 🥺.

I liked and agree with Ki-jeong's take on not making people wait when you like them. There's absolutely no need for all those games. I'm still not sure what to make of her relationship with Tae-hun but at least his daughter seems to be happy that her father has found some form of happiness. Tae-hun's sisters need to get out of that unhealthy head space in which they are cuz it's really bad how dependent they seem to be on their current family dynamic.
I'll wait to see if Ki-jeong's boss decides to make a move now that he has ended his umpteenth office romance, although I think it might do him some good to remain single.

Mi-jeong boss irks me to no end! She really need to put him back in his place and I secretly wish one of Gu's guys or Gu himself could shake him up a bit. I would have preferred if there wasn't one but Is it really dramaland if there's no break-up? Let us wait and see what the futur holds for them

These were bittersweet episodes, but the standout moments for me were the kiss (much more natural than most kdrama kisses and I loved that both went in at exactly the same moment with the same intensity so it was completely and obviously mutual) and Tae-hoon telling his sister to leave the restaurant. So satisfying.

I also really liked the way Chang-hee's relationship with Gu's car (because it plays like a relationship) developed his character. For so many years he has desperately wanted a car (like his sister has desperately wanted to be loved by a man she also loves) and when his dream was finally realized he experienced intense joy, then a calm kind of acceptance and peace, and then the drama of a literal dent that ends his perfect reverie. I still don't love this character despite the actor's great work here, but I enjoyed this mini-arc for him. He seemed much more human and sympathetic.

I liked the way Gu's departure was handled. It was sad but inevitable, and it didn't leave either character completely gutted. (I still remember how visceral was Oh Hae Young's heartbreak in the middle of that drama and I didn't want to see anything like that again.) It's just a profound loss for both of them, and one I do think will eventually lead to a reunion. I hope so anyway, because they are clearly in love and good for each other, even with all their quirks and struggles.

Love the screencap used at the top (even though the exact moment wasn’t called out in the weecap):
When Mr. Gu hesitates once… twice… then finally says “I worship you”, and Mijeong smiles. It is the equivalent of those sweeping grand “I love you’s” that occur in other dramas, but here it is said simply, while watching the sunset, with no fanfare… and yet he has confirmed finally with his words that he is head over heels for Mijeong. Even in the bts, I saw that Son SeokGu said that one line and moment was the reason he chose the drama (thank goodness for that), and how he had been so excited to say it!

It’s amazing how this writer uses so much silence, and our beloved actor and actress are able to convey so much with facial expressions, actions, and just a few words. It is the prime example of show, don’t tell. But even those moments shown aren’t “showy”, grand, or over the top. Just two simple people enjoying each other and falling deeper for each other. Here’s to more beautiful moments even though I am expecting some hurt in next weeks episode as Mr. Gu tries to find his way back to liberation.

I almost go crazy for not being able to stop fake-smiling. Being liberated from that was awesome.

Welcome to the club, eonnie.

Gu’s backstory is confusing. Based on his name and that long jump, it seems likely that he was a national athlete but then how did he start working in host bars? This is the kind of show where we probably won’t ever find out. Possible athlete. Host bars. Dead girlfriend. Embezzlement. Drug-dealing rival who tried to kill him. It’s all a bit much.

I liked Gi-jung’s reaction to Tae-hoon’s confession. Lee El is so good, the standout for me in this drama. I wish the “Just catch your breath” scene had come earlier in the series though. I liked Tae-hoon's explanation to his daughter for why he likes Gi-jung, but I don’t really get how he arrived at it from their previous interactions. She always seemed high strung and nervous rather than calming to me. If the relationship progresses, I do hope we get to see her get to know the daughter and not just have it happen over a time jump.

I liked the Liberation Club getting a new member.

Hyun-ah’s dying ex and his psycho money-grubbing mother plotline kind of came out of nowhere. I don’t think it added anything or was needed to get Hyun-ah and Chang-hee together.

At this point I don't have anything to say about this drama any more. I'm just going to enjoy the ride. I don't expect Mijeong ends up with Mr.Gu or not, or Ki Jeong ends up with Tae-hoon or her boss, or Chan-hee ends up with Hyun-ah. The more important to me, anything can happen but at the end every character grow and learn something. Like finding meaning in little things happen in life.
Don't we love all the juxtaposition happening in this drama: Mr. Gu laughing in funeral and the club lady can't stop smiling even in funeral. Mr. Gu and the stays dogs or the scenes filled with silence no bgm and scenes with bgm that suited them. Love you writer nim and PD nim!
The funniest to from these eps are not when Mr. Gu chases Chang-hee but when Mr. Gu asks Mi-jeong to give him proper name so she won't eat him. 😂 How far he has changed being whipped hmm worshipped ha ha

I hate bringing negativity to kdrama threads. People enjoy the show so why spoil the fun? I also like this show, I watch the moments the subs are out and participate in every thread. However, tbh, I am starting to question my sanity because everyone seems to enjoy and relate to it so much more than I do.

My problem boils down to Mi Jeong and Gi Jeong.

Mi Jeong most likely suffers from low empathy. It was extremely off putting that she did not help her friend who might have been getting beaten for all she knew. I also didn't like the slight arrogance in her monologue about other kids wishing to "find friends" or "get in good school" while all she wanted was to 🌟🌟know why she existed 🌟🌟 (her conclusion being that she doesn't want to be like the those people). The whole monologue was something my angsty 13 year old self would have written at 3 am. In reality, the other kids probably wondered about the meaning of life as well, but they also had the capability to want something more from life. All this would have been fine if the show actually recognized those traits as negative but no, Mi Jeong starts having a monologue about herself while her friend might or might not be getting killed by her boyfriend and all Mi Jeong's inability to relate to others, gets written off as her being different because she lives in a countryside.

Gi Jeong meanwhile is immature and not someone I would trust with an extremely sensitive 12 year old kid for an extended period of time. She changes her opinion on single dads in a span of the week because she wants to fall in love and the guy is hot and her idea of accepting a rejection is by getting her brother and friend put a show. It's difficult to be on board with her story when I can't fully support the loveline. The loveline is also her whole story.

Chang Hee meanwhile was the poster boy of the show and imao, even though he has less screentime than Mi Jeong, his story is the one of real liberation. The guy is pathetic, somewhat insensitive, but his raw honesty and desire to grow makes his story arc the most significant. It also helps that compared to his siblings his liberation doesn't depend on anyone dating or worshiping him.

They played us with that wide shot and far kiss, meh. When Gu left Mi Jeong, and he asked her to get mad, I was like how could she, of course she was sad. I was sad too. Then he just cut off contact 😭.It is interesting because we now know all that took place in 2019.

To say I laughed when Gu chased CH all over that town, but the real kicker was the friend on the scooter giving them water. LMAO, sir, why?

I appreciate the little love story between KJ and TH too. I like that he liked her because she didn't need him to be fun, she just needed him to be himself. I think it is sweet his daughter approves. His sisters need to set healthy boundaries for themselves though.

As for CH, he needs to be with Hyun-ah. They are well suited to each other.

I again have not finished this week's episode. But I'm popping in to say I've finally discovered, 12 eps in, why this show has that extra layer of authenticity, when other show don't.

It's because the main cast is, for one of the very rare occasions in Asian drama-land... actually playing their OWN AGE! All of them. Which lets them inject a level of their own age-bracket related experience onto their characters. And it's an incredibly refreshing thing to watch! Almost magical.

Looks condescendingly at High-School & 'work-place' dramas

Gut punch episodes.

A well built-up kiss and a breakup.

I really thought we wouldn't have to deal with this. Thier worship of each other had clearly grown beyond worship. They're now fond of each other so I wondered why there was a turnaround for Gu. Clearly he did have to return. How long would he take to make peace with his world? Need I say his other world is anything but sweet. So didn't Sanpo have a littlest effect on him?

Good thing with the show giving its take on the play-hard-to-get thingy. Some valid points taken. Ki-jung is really unabashedly honest. Kindly keep the things in your head in your head, what if you were on the crowded street.

I really wished Gu caught up to Chang-hee, let us see that bad boy vibe. But as the race stretched, it seemed like Gu needed the run itself and Chang-hee just gave him an avenue to run.

And Daddy Yeom is one hell of a father. His principles are his principles, no exception to his understudy. How he took everything about Gu's history in good faith...great human philosophy and ethic.

Mr. Gu left because he realized he had no choice. At first he thought he had one, when he went to Mr. Baek and told Baek that he will decide whether to stay in Sanpo or go back to Seoul to reclaim his territory. But then the ominous Chairman Shin tracked down Gu and told him to come back to work for him. Later on, Gu's gangster-ish buddy found him and even intruded into the Yeom family home. And the worst part was the buddy said "you must have a woman here". That truly alarmed Gu. He realized his continued say in Sanpo will jeopardize Mijeong and the Yeom family's safety.

The breakup scene was heart wrenching. Kudos to both actors -- you could feel Gu's conflicted emotions, he desperately loves MJ and doesn't want to let her go, but he had to because he can't give MJ a future; and you could feel MJ's pain and her strength. Even though it was a fight, Gu and MJ were in fact both professing their love for each other. Gu's be angry, curse me, move to Seoul, just be an ordinary woman... he is really saying, why are you so extraordinary that I can't forget you... MJ's response, I will carry my child on my back, I will carry the one year old you on my back... she is saying she refuses to walk an easy, conventional path, and that her love for Gu is unconditional, and she sees the real Gu, the one year old Gu who hasn't been hurt by the outside world and she wants to protect and care for that child inside.

The Good: Ep 11 and 12 had some of the best scenes of the drama. The night-time hiking montage in ep11 overlaid with the piano music and Mijeong's monologue about how she wants to achieve heaven on Earth and not heaven in the afterlife captured the essence of MLN. The HR lady joining the Liberation Club in ep12 underscored how many people are faking their happy smiles, and the exhaustion that comes with keeping up such a facade. There is also a gender element to this as women are often told to "smile". I laughed aloud when the HR lady said her permanent fake smile gave her trouble at funerals.

The Bad: The tonal shifts in ep11&12 are jarring. Gu's story makes me feel like I'm watching a bloody noir film interspersed with MLN. I still don't get why we need this specific gangster backstory. What is it supposed to represent? Why could Gu not just be a suffering widower in Sanpo?

I feel for the father, Chang-hee would drive me up the wall, too. It is fine to take the Rolls for a spin to have driven something like this once in a lifetime, but using it on a daily basis is just wrong. He is just greedy, wearing another man's feathers to look and feel good instead of working on his own success. The bump in the car has thankfully brought him down to reality.

The father as an astute observer also knows that he cannot and should not stop Gu from leaving, even if it makes him almost as sad as Mi-jung. The car, the 'friends' showing up suddenly and the jewellery they are wearing are telling him exactly what kind of circles Gu was/is part of. He has also seen Gu's anger and frustration that his old life is following him and by offering to welcome Gu back anytime, tells him that he thinks that Gu is different from these people.

So, time is up for Gu, if he wants to keep the family and especially Mi-jung safe from his more shady connections. There are also responsibilities that he cannot ignore any longer. Poor Mi-jung! I am glad we saw her in the last scene looking more confident and happy. The writer's previous dramas give me hope that there will be a happy end for Gu and Mi-jung, especially after his most beautiful confession - 'I whorship you'.

I am not particularly fond of Ki-jung and Tae-hun as a couple, although I can see that she is starting to be a little less self centred.

I was touched by the new Liberation Club member, I am sure I know people like her who hide their suffering and pain behind a smiling facade. She really looked relieved to have found this club!

Thanks for the recap, @quirkycase

Here are my thoughts on these episodes:

I do NOT want Ki-jung to end up with the single dad. She just seems too selfish for that. I fastfowarded all their scenes together. I like her more with the boss, because I feel like she's more comfortable around him. And just more her natural self.

When Gu chased Chang-hee, I laughed so hard.

How dare Mi-jung's boss insult her pants, which, by the way, I happen to think are quite stylish.

Gu, Gu. Gu. This guy. He continues to be mesmerizing, and it's all thanks to the hopefully-no-longer-so-underrated Son Suk-goo.

The progession of his letting his guard down around Mi-jung feels so natural. Gradually, he warmed up to her, and now he even teases her and makes jokes. I particularly liked the part where he asked her to name him so she doesn't eat him in the future (when she was talking about the goat they used to have).

The single dad, whose name I forget--sorry, Lee Ki-woo 😬--is trying to date and I'm rooting for him, but I just really, really don't want him with Ki-jung. And his sister needs to chill. We get it, she doesn't approve, but he's a grown man with a whole ass kid and should be able to do what he wants.

Boss Baek's death was so gruesome. I was expecting them to catch him, then when he jumped and fell I thought he'd broken something and they'd be able to nab him. But he died. Brutal.

There's so much more I could say but I'll end it here so it doesn't get too long 😅

Chang-hee and A-reum, demonstrating opposite trends in personal growth: a couple of episodes ago they seemed to reach an entente at that team dinner where she "corrected" him on how to eat something and he tried it and agreed with her. His determination to not let her (and by extension, every piece of ill fortune and oppressive circumstance) get to him lasts for a while, until he starts complaining about her again and his work friends note that the benevolent Rolls-Royce effect must be wearing off. But when Chang-hee is back at his office and A-Reum has a fit about having to apologize for something, he restrains himself from telling her to shut up when even their manager can’t hold back, while she reverts to self-indulgent whining.

Also, I told you Lee Min-ki could run! 🤣 That scene was hilarious.

I found myself relating to Mi Jeong about the expression of anger. When I express it, I find myself harboring those feelings for a longer period/difficult to overcome, and when I ignore it and let it sit, I forget about it or it doesn't affect me that much.
My dad's take is that this results in silently killing one's personality bit by bit.

The marathon scene symbolizes the journey CH and Gu each has to take to be liberated. Notice how when they first started, the scenery was dreary, then it became green and at the end they were running along flower fields... CH thought material wealth would liberate him, but after he got Gu's rolls royce, it really didn't and at the end it was more troublesome than liberating. While Gu was running, in his imagination, he heard his ex telling him in a derogatory way "people like you", symbolizing what typical people would view him given his background in the under world, and then he saw MJ telling him that he was transparent, symbolizing that MJ sees the real him. CH on the other hand, sees Hyuna, maybe Hyuna is the person who gives him comfort during his time of stress. At the end, both CH and Gu end up at the train station going back to Seoul... their marathon had taken them back where they started.

Finally our long-awaited kiss, except the scene immediately cut away. So in my imagination, they ended up back in his house or else what a waste of their sexual tension.

More than Mi-jung, I feel sorrier for Dad over losing his best worker. When he met Gu's hyung, that was the first time I saw him smile. I was on the edge of my seat waiting if Gu's identity would get revealed.

I was surprised that Gu got mad over the dent in the bumper. Since he's so easygoing, I figured he would be cool with it as he's rich anyway. When he let Chang-hee drive the car, he should've expected that he would get into an accident.

I can't root for Ki-jung and Tae-hoon's romance because one, they don't really know each other, and two, she doesn't want to be part of that family. So this is the ex-boyfriend that Hyun-ah's boyfriend had broken her stuff over.

As I expected the saparate between Gu and Mijong will come but I never expected that will be done at ep 12. I thought they will saparate at ep 14 but I'm glad they did that sooner, so we can see development each characters without being together in the proper remaining eps, I hope so.
The highlight ep12 is when Gu begging MJ to gave him a name, so hilarious for me.
CH realize that his liberation is not a car. The car only gives him momentary pleasure.

Do I feel disapointed that Gu went back to Seoul just like that, leaving everything behind despite having admitted that living in Sanpo made him happy and relaxed for the first time in 15 years? Of course. But I think it's par for the course with his character development so far. While our 3 siblings tried to tackle the root of their unhappiness all these 12 eps, or at least tried to do something different when they encountered the exact same problem, Gu has only focused on... taking a breather, I guess. I don't think he knows what he actually want just yet. He has just only noticed how unhappy he was all this time, and now it's finally time for him to sit down and ponder on that. What kind of life does he want? How does happiness look like for him, now that he has a choice?

Did Gu and Mi-jung do the thing? Why did she wash her hair at night? And she had said she wanted to experience happiness on earth than in heaven.
I just like her line "I am going to carry my kid". Just hoping there will be a kid indeed, but there's no hint in the preview for the next epi.

Poor Mr Gu, the maybe erstwhile gangster boss. He so wished Mijeong would keep some of her thoughts to herself. He was so freaked out by her comment about wanting to eat cute things.

I have lost count of the number of times I have corrected my students’ autocorrect absurdity or misuse of ‘tenets’ as tenants! Always cracks me up.

By the way, I like Mr' Gu's a little curly bangs. He looked young.

My only gripe with this drama is how the dialogues are set up with the secondary characters. Maybe it's because it's the POV of the main characters but it's just monologuing and then secondary characters agree or prompts on. The only people having some kind of dialogue is the two main characters. And maybe the brother and the cafe friend.

Would be very weird IRL to just talk at people like that. This is especially salient with Gi-Jeong the elder sister. She just kinda drones on with her friend, boss, and Tae-hun. There was a weird moment where something she said triggered some weird aha moment with Tae-Hun but you really don't know why he would change his mind... It's weird how unlikeable of character they made her.

On a side note, I love all the eating in the show. Everyone is constantly eating. Does feel more lived in as a show that way.

Just came across this beautiful comment on Reddit:

"
Episode 12 was heartbreaking.

Not even the laugh out loud comedic scenes could soften the ultimate blow of Gu walking out on Mi Jeong. I say walking out on Mi Jeong, but actually he abandoned himself and she knew it, which is why she was sad rather than angry. She'd promised him he'd be a different person after worshipping her, but it seemingly wasn't enough and instead he regressed.

However, it feels as if the trigger point was actually not Baek, nor Chairman Shin, but Gu's brother realising there was a romantic relationship for Gu in Sanpo. Gu knows grief and he was not about to endanger Mi Jeong.

It was such a clever parallel to have the newest member of the liberation club talk about her out of control expressions at funerals, then end the episode with Gu spiralling internally but exhibiting a lack of humanity at Baek's funeral. There was one funeral but it felt like two deaths, because it's as if Gu is destroying himself.

That preview of Gu gazing at the sweet potato stems was the final pull on the heartstrings - taking us straight back to his meal in the Yeoms' home and Mi Jeong taking him extra sweet potato stems because he enjoyed them so much. He is now back in a joyless life.

Gu taking that parasol to the strays was so touching. To then see them caged and the continuation of their shared metaphorical experience was devastating. I am taking Gu driving off in the dented Rolls Royce as a symbolic ray of hope that the Yeoms have left an impression on him which cannot simply be erased.

I've also been wondering about the symbolism of cars in this drama. The Rolls Royce was damaged (just as Gu is) and was also blocked in the car park (just as Gu is caged in his old life). The Rolls is also driven by someone other than Gu until today's episode, signifying that Gu has lost control over his trajectory. Mr Yeom has repeatedly mentioned that one should not drive someone else's car, almost suggesting again that liberation is being satisfied with what you have and subsequently in control of your own choices - not at the mercy of others. Tae Hoon struggled to find a parking space last episode, mirroring him struggling to find a space for his own personal life alongside his familial responsibilities. For Chang Hee the lack of a car has reduced his sense of freedom and independence. It's an interesting narrative tool and I'm sure I've missed other elements of its usage.

Edit: just realised the OST from Something in the Rain is playing when Tae Hoon and Ki Jeong are in the restaurant together. Doubt it's a coincidence that the drama most famous for crazy family members trying to ruin a relationship is referenced in a scene with Tae Hoon - his sister is on the exact same level.

It was so sad to see Mr Yeom's sense of inferiority in the face of Gu's wealth. How belittled he must have felt when he'd been the one advising Gu on how to make a successful living...

Hehe Chang Hee's squeak-yells are hilarious!! Lee Min Ki does an excellent job portraying quirky characters, like he did in Because This is Our First Life. Worth watching if you haven't seen this one!

And Gu's playful side also made me chuckle, "Give me a name!!" The beautiful "I worship you" scene, wonderful. Consolation here is knowing that he has changed thanks to his relationship with and love for Mi Jeong, so he will find her again; the before and after contrast in his life, just as Mi Jeong said as well, means he won't be able to go back to living an empty pre-MJ life.