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Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Episodes 13-14

For our penultimate week, we head to Jeju Island for a work trip. And while each of our characters have extracurricular plans for the trip, life also has its own plans for them.

 
EPISODES 13-14 WEECAP

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Episodes 13-14

Okay, in what was supposed to be an exciting and fun-filled trip, I did not enjoy a single moment of it. I was on edge the whole time waiting for the other shoe to drop, and when it did… oh Lord! But first, the case of the week. Our plaintiff is an elderly man who was forced to pay an admission fee for driving on the road leading to a temple where a cultural heritage site is situated. It’s a legitimate fee which is supposed to be paid on visiting the site, but he was charged for just plying the road. Although he knows the cost of a lawsuit is way more than the 3000 won admission fee, he’s still willing to sue because of the unfairness of it all.

The temple is located on Jeju Island, and Young-woo is the first to indicate her interest in the case because she wants to see her favorite released dolphins on the trip. The others are taken aback by the sudden need to travel, but Myeong-seok — who went for a checkup after coughing up blood last week — is eager to travel too. We don’t know his diagnosis yet, but the whole thing is already worrisome. Another thing to worry about is Young-woo’s prospective “meet the in-laws” with Jun-ho’s sister who also lives on Jeju.

Not wanting to be left behind, Geu-ra-mi and her boss Min-shik a.k.a. Hairy Boss, join the Hanbada squad, and off they fly to Jeju. While Myeong-seok appears really excited on the trip, as they take in the sights, he has a brief moment of silent tears. Ah! And to make matters worse, a noodle restaurant he had been looking forward to visiting has closed down. This whole thing is giving bucket list feels, and I don’t like it.

Back to our case, after the judge adjourns the first hearing, the abbot invites the Hanbada squad to visit the temple where they bow a whopping 158 times! And as they continue their tour with shaky legs, the abbot gives them an analogy saying what they see is not everything, and they should look at things beyond the surface level.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Episodes 13-14

Rather than waste such a precious vacation opportunity on work, Myeong-seok declares a work-free evening for the lawyers and sends Min-woo and Su-yeon to buy drinks. On this errand, we learn that Min-woo (who has been surprisingly cooperative on the trip) is the breadwinner of his family thanks to his parents’ health condition, but I’m afraid this doesn’t give him a pass for being such a competitive jerk. We also get the makings of a brewing romance between him and Su-yeon. Okay, Show, what are you doing?

Back at the guesthouse, we also learn that Myeong-seok is divorced, and it’s all because he was more attentive to his work than to his ex-wife (cameo by Lee Yoon-ji, whom I’ve missed in dramaland). Coincidentally, Myeong-seok’s honeymoon was also on Jeju, and this trip brings back all the memories. Young-woo notices a few of Myeong-seok’s withdrawn moments, but most of her attention is on seeing the dolphins and meeting Jun-ho’s sister.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Episodes 13-14

Unfortunately, the dolphins don’t appear when Young-woo goes to see them, and the visit to Jun-ho’s sister is a mini disaster. Bless Geu-ra-mi’s heart and all, but at this point, Young-woo should stop taking her advice. Not that it would have made a difference anyway, since it’s not Young-woo’s Geu-ra-mi-inspired actions that are the problem for Jun-ho’s sister, but the fact that Young-woo is autistic. Jun-ho and his sister have an argument when she says he shouldn’t introduce Young-woo to their parents, and Young-woo overhears the whole conversation. Sigh.

Things come to a head when Myeong-seok collapses at the second hearing and has to be rushed to the hospital. Oh no! There, we learn he has stage three stomach cancer and is scheduled for surgery on his return to Seoul. It’s a bit of a relief that he’s not dying (right, Show?) or anything, but stomach cancer? Seriously? The rest of the squad assure Myeong-seok that he’ll be fine except Young-woo, who wants Myeong-seok to eat at the noodle restaurant of his dreams before he dies. Lol.

Ignoring Myeong-seok’s words to not bother about it, Young-woo mobilizes the rest of the squad on a manhunt for the restaurant’s owner. They soon find out that he went out of business after a rival restaurant poached his chef, took his recipe and changed their name to sound similar to his. They manage to trace his mother to a nursing home, but unfortunately he only visits once a month and has ticked off this month’s visit.

Young-woo visits Myeong-seok in the hospital in search of a justification that will help them win the case, and she meets his ex-wife who also came to visit. The ex-wife excuses them in frustration as they go on about the case, and when Young-woo exits the room later on, the ex-wife tells her that she was reminded once again about why she broke up with Myeong-seok. He was always livelier when talking about work than when he was with her, and it made her feel lonely.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Episodes 13-14

These words get to Young-woo, and on a phone call with her dad, she asks why he would want her to bring Jun-ho home. Dad says he’ll want to know if Jun-ho is someone who can make her happy, and she says yes. The problem is that she doesn’t know if she can make him happy. Oof. Young-woo breaks up with Jun-ho when they go to see the dolphins again, and Jun-ho grasps at straws as he tries to come up with a reason. He even asks if it’s because they didn’t see the dolphins, and repeats the abbot’s words about what they see not being everything.

This gives Young-woo an insight into a justification for the case. The road being a public property means the plaintiff cannot be deemed to have visited the cultural heritage site just because he used public property – and she runs off. An upset Jun-ho calls her out for just leaving without an explanation, but she simply apologizes and leaves. As she walks away and Jun-ho cries, one of the dolphins makes an appearance, but they don’t see it.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Episodes 13-14

Thanks to Young-woo’s justification, Hanbada wins the case. But far from a celebratory mood, Jun-ho goes for post-breakup drinks with Min-woo and Su-yeon, and Young-woo goes with Geu-ra-mi and Hairy Boss to a karaoke where she fights back her tears. When both parties return to the guesthouse for the night, Su-yeon has had it with the sudden change in Min-woo and tells him to return to his scheming ways. He jokingly asks if she likes him, and both of them are shocked when she doesn’t deny it. Meanwhile, Geu-ra-mi watches the exchange with a mini broken heart thanks to her crush on Min-woo. Heh.

With the successful completion of the case, Myeong-seok takes his team to the temple to say goodbye to the abbot. The admission fee was charged to maintain the temple and the cultural heritage site, but now that it has been ruled against, Myeong-seok proposes that the abbot comes to an agreement with the government to create a foundation for the temple’s self management. He succeeds in selling Hanbada as the legal team to partner with the temple in the government negotiations, and Young-woo finds this proposition really cool.

Over a noodle meal in the temple, Young-woo pieces together information from their manhunt and the Abbot’s words, and realizes the noodle restaurant’s owner is at the temple. The squad files to the temple’s kitchen, and Young-woo pleads with the owner to cook for an attorney who might die of stage three stomach cancer. Lol. The downcast owner brightens up real quick when they offer him legal advice on how to sue the rival restaurant and protect his intellectual property. Finally, the Hanbada squad gets to eat at the noodle restaurant, and Myeong-seok looks like he will die of happiness rather than stomach cancer. Awww. Young-woo really went all out in looking for the restaurant’s owner for Myeong-seok’s sake, and she still thinks she cannot make people happy?

The squad heads back to Seoul where CEO Tae is on her way to becoming minister of justice. CEO Han, on the other hand, has a sit-down with the reporter on the CEO Tae/Young–woo story, and confirms the mother-daughter relationship between them. She tells him to hold off on releasing the article until right before CEO Tae is confirmed as minister of justice, and promises to get him an interview with Young-woo later on. And there you have it, folks, CEO Han officially fielding Young-woo as collateral damage in her war with CEO Tae. Tsk.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Episodes 13-14

With this, we come to the end of the most dramatic week so far, where none of our characters made it through unscathed. I mean, I did not stick around this long just to be hit in the face by all these last minute K-drama tropes! Ugh! I hope Myeong-seok takes a long break after his surgery – not even to reconnect with his ex-wife because that ship has sailed, but to focus on a hobby outside of work. Min-woo, on the other hand, should focus on remaining the black sheep of this show, and kill any romantic intentions towards Su-yeon. Seriously, where did this one even come from?

As for our whale couple, I was hoping we wouldn’t go the breakup route, but alas! And the worst part is that Jun-ho still has no clue as to why she broke up with him. Why did the Young-woo who was so worried about making him feel lonely in their relationship just leave without an explanation? I get her fears, but she should have shared them with Jun-ho for them to talk things through. Now they’re both miserable and as someone who is emotionally invested in them, I’m miserable too. Sigh! Maybe the PPL multibalm can smoothen my frown lines and soothe my broken heart as we head into the final week. Please give me a satisfactory ending at least, Show.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Episodes 13-14

 
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Is it just me that feels like this weeks episodes feel like they were written by someone else? I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed with the turn the plot took, on several fronts. The thing that’s bugging me the most is Minwoo and his random turn in characterisation, which the show acknowledged, but idk if you’re going to try give him a redemption arc then a) I wish the the stuff about his background was introduced earlier and b) I wish they hadn’t pushed him past the line with his antics last week.

I’m just questioning the decision to leave the redemption arc (or what seems like a redemption arc) and a possible Suyeon x Minwoo paring to the last 4 episodes -notwithstanding the cancer issue, the breakup (why 😭), the birth secret and the related law firm politics. It’s even more puzzling because the writing has been solid & tight all the way up until this point, so I’m scratching my head a little as to why we’ve ended up here all of a sudden with all these tropes squished in last minute and the pacing faltering a little. I shall put my trust in the EAW team to give us a satisfying ending next week nevertheless!!

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lowkey I think I'm extra disgruntled because I found myself softening towards Minwoo this week and almost forgetting everything else when he started being all human and stuff lol like when he was giving Junho advice and wondering whether he'd put too much pressure on Youngwoo????? That wasn't something that was on my Minwoo bingo card and it had me in a tailspin. So in some way, I get why Suyeon is flustered esp. when she doesn't know half of what Minwoo has been up to - just please show clean this mess up satisfactorily now!

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@lapislazulii: No, you’re not alone. It was disjointed, surprisingly poorly plotted and illogically conceived. It really was disappointing.

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I had to convince myself that no way was I going to give him a redemption arc in my book. Just understand him and floss it aside, no redemption.

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Exactly. Redemption should be substantively demonstrated and earned. It is categorically unacceptable to depict an arrogant and vicious shit, and then, assume that the audience have become amnesiacs (ha!) and hence, should be presented with the same character, now with a modicum of decency and expect the slate to be wiped clean. No no no. Also, such a disservice to women’s worth and, in particular to the Spring Sunshine character as @miso2019 said. I am really disappointed.

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Redemption is a journey, not a destination. And even if I walk with Min-woo through his journey, career sabotage is the height of it irrespective of his family situation.
He's unaware that Youngwoo is just like him - of humble roots. Her father just happened to school with people who later turned out to be in a position to rightfully employ Youngwoo. If his parents had the same social quotient, he wouldn't be acting like this. It's not her fault her father schooled with Taesan or Hanbada's CEO's.

To think they're actually fanning a spark within Spring Sunshine Su-yeon is 🤦🏽. She can be surprised taken aback with his 360° change in character without the butterfly effect. All is not forgiven, not after culmination of all his stunts last week.

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Same-ish about Min-woo.

Up until this week, I was more than happy to get in line to kick him in the nuts!

I'm ok with Jeju Island lightening him up, in terms of becoming more of a human and less of a jackass. Maybe spark a redemption arc.

But I'm not ok with our Spring Sunshine being part of Min-woo's redemption. She's just too good for that!!

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I might be alone in thinking that the Min Woo turn is somewhat organic. He likes sunshine anyway, he always has in small signals. And while he’s borderline feral in professional contexts, I could see why he’d shift on a quasi-holiday. He’s on the backup team, his boss is clearly cutting loose, he’s now had probably a month or so to have a front-row seat to the whole Jun Ho/WYW entanglement… And his transformation really wasn’t that significant, more like the tightly-wound part of him was left back in Seoul.

I do like that both he and Sunshine were somewhat horrified by the realization they’d both softened enough to potentially enjoy each other’s company.

He’s not redeemed! But no one is all bad, and this week he just happened not to have any of his usual drivers for wickedness around. We’ll see what happens next week.

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I feel like that nice part of Min-woo was always there despite his competitive nature, but his entire aura changed in this episode. He was all tense and cage-y the last couple of weeks and suddenly, he's carefree, loose-y goose-y Vacation Min-woo? Like he didn't even get Young-woo to quit Hanbada yet, so why is he so relaxed? I also wish his background stuff was introduced earlier.

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'oh you' re not a complete jerk? Now im in love with you' 🙄being nice is the bare minimum

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I don't think Minwoo characterization was random. I mean it's been shown that he's actually a good friend to Junho and know relationship stuff. I know that he was mean to Youngwoo, but I think that was because he is the byproduct of the system that raised him. Even before his backstory here, I kinda understand his perspective, just because there are a lot of people like him out there. Those who despises representation or affirmative action to minorities and thinking about it as 'reverse discrimination' to the normal ones. Particularly when the minorities excel more and then shown to be capable, and accused to take the job or opportunity from the majority. The writer itself mention that his character purpose was to show that perspective. That being said, I hope him sharing perspective with our spring sunshine helps to make him more empathetic toward YW.

Also I hope the message that the writer convey throughout his character doesn't get lose to the audience - saw lots of posts on other social medias viewing him as onesided villain. I hope that through the redemption of his character (finger crossed!) people get to see how opportunities given to minorities are necessary, how it is not unfair or a 'discrimination' for the majority, and although political, is needed to give people a chance to show their talent

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I think agree with the essence of what you're saying/what some of the others who share a similar view point to yours are saying! I think the main issue from my POV is the fact that they've left it till this late to explore his character. After he went to Tae Sumi last week to blackmail her, I thought that was sort of like the final nail in the coffin as far as his characterisation went so when we abruptly got a more chilled out, nice? Minwoo and a slight insight into his family life, I was a bit taken aback because it felt random to bring it up now when there's two episodes left. I'd originally hoped, back in like the earlier episode when we see Minwoo first complain to Myungseok, that they'd actually show us a little bit more about him and have him on the path to being more self-aware and understanding about why his viewpoint was flawed etc. from that point on wards rather than leaving it till almost the end to sort out, if that makes sense?

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Ummm... Is not like this dude just said mean things and complained. Do you know how ugly your character has to be in order to be okay with actively planning the destruction of someone's life? He blackmailed a powerful person without compunction. Is that where you first go? "Oh, let me use this information to blackmail this person and get me a better job.". Wow! And to send those documents to the opposing attorney and try to blame it on someone else... That would have ruined WYW career taking from her the only thing she had. If anyone finds out he will surely be disbarred. You don't just go there and then get reformed. That you do stuff like this means this is who you are and how you live your life. You can't just La Do Da this away.

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Not to mention he disclosed confidential client information… HIS client’s. Committing malpractice just to bring someone down and get ahead, and somehow he felt righteous about it? That made no sense to me. I was okay with him being a jerk, but not that last storyline.

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I am not seeing him going up to Tae Sumi as the blackmailing since he still didn't fully undertand how YoungWoo did not get the job through connection. If I'm not mistaken, no one explained it to him properly other than Sooyeon in her office shout out. Thus, he felt wronged and try to compete with her in a 'perceivedly' same way as Youngwoo, like "If that is not wrong to do, then I can do it too." It is sad but without proper knowledge on affirmative action, that happens a LOT in real life, sadly. Like white people claiming reverse discrimination when minorities gets special opportunity, or hell, representation in popular media.

When that situation happens, my first reaction was to hate Tae Sumi much more than MW because she was the one who utilized this rookie lawyer to her political advantage. And him sabotaging YW job was the impact of that.

I'm just trying to see the bigger picture. Though minority representation are something I wholeheartedly support, the capitalism hindering it is something we can't ignore. I may be skeptical but I think out of his haters there are lots of people like him lol. And that's okay, if they can take out this message the author intended

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"Gosh, I almost reported you to the police for the crime of not staying in character."

No, I think I'd still like to report that crime, thanks.
112, hello? Yes, a Drama Crime has been committed. Yes, they tried to mitigate it with self awareness but it was still weird. Yes, please send any extra secondary character development units you have available, it will be needed and we lost ours on the way. Yes, thank you.

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HAHAHAHAHHAHA yes please, idk whether to laugh or cry 😂 😭

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Hi, yeah it's me again. Can I report the additional Drama Crimes of Last Minute Possibly Terminal Illness and Penultimate Week Break Up also please?
On how the breakup is handled in terms of OTP development pending, ofc, we might avert the crisis before you even get here, but really, the last thing this needed to do was become like every other rom com.
I know, I know, can you believe the nerve of these guys. You'll send a patrol whale and a support crew for that also? Thank you so much... If you could find a personal hug chair... Oh that's not in your jurisdiction... sorry I'll call the other line.
Thank you again.

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I took more issue with the Very Special Episode tone and the passionate speech about how the Korean legal system can absolutely work for the little guy - I mean just so long as an elite law firm decides to track you down in a mountain monastery and offer to solve All Your Legal Problems for presumably no fee.

I'm not entirely sure if Minwoo's character is a victim of last-minute redemption or it's more that a producer somewhere demanded an antagonist and so they tortured his character into one before course-correcting at the end. I found his active sabotaging of Young-woo to try to get her fired more out of character than his behaviour this week.

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Either way, I think the issue with his character is inconsistency. Making him a legit antagonist with an inferiority compelx and then giving him a humbling experience or redemption arc (or not I guess if that's what you wanted to do), or making him a nuanced but not actually bad guy, supporting Attorney, a healthy rival perhaps, or even just somewhere in between those two; both work in their own right if you develop them well enough and don't screw up the writing. But you can't flip flop between them, refuse to delve into either properly and have it make sense or be satisfying.
Just pick a line, y'all.
Or keep all your supporting characters*just* supporting, and maintain the focus on WYW and use that as your justification for little character development for them. 🙄

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I agree re the inconsistency. I've really felt like they grafted this conniving antagonist onto a character that was not a bad person but just a competitive one with personal reasons for wanting to succeed. What looked to him like nepotism and special treatment would have felt particularly like a slap in the face when his own family is not wealthy and connected like the other new hires.

Having him actively try to get her fired by framing her for what is effectively legal misconduct was way out of character IMO

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It's such an easy fix too. Introduce his insecuties and anxieties about supporting his family more earlier on (I think they did mention this once, but I think it should've been a clearer and more balanced motivation). Take out his worst acts. Give him a wake up call in regards to his insecurities and WYW. Have him be slightly more of what he was these episodes at times earlier as well, but maintain the biting cynicism and some of the aloofness. That's already more cohesive.

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That’s what I thought too. All along, Min Woo didn’t come across as a villain but someone who earns his way up through sheer hard work like the other interns. Nepotism or special treatment is not right in his book. His competitive streak also puts him at odds with SY and YW. AND, the actor playing MW is really great in portraying this ladder climbing guy to the T. Believable and authentic like those we see day in day out in the corporate world - until he rocked up to CEO Tae’s office. That arc went too far and was out of character because a schemer like him would have been more prudent and weighed up the consequences of upsetting a powerful legal firm in Hanabda.

If without the CEO Tae arc, his pairing with SY is not out of question. It’s like the opposites attract. And, he’s not doing something extraordinarily nice in Jeju but rather what any ordinary decent guy would do in helping out small things.

What caught my eyes though is the final court scene when YW presenting her winning argument - there’s the first admiring spark in Min Woo’s eyes. That’s a revelation. Not sure if it’s scripted or as directed or the actor putting in his part as the new trajectory of his character.

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Lol 🤣 I think they ran out of good drama writing juice, having spilled it all over Cafe Minamdang's black hole of craziness.

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Thank you @unit for the recap and your sacrifice. It is terribly difficult when a show that brings you joy becomes a hard(er) watch.
My heart. I was afraid of these kind of tropes. My (hopeful?) trust is in the writer to wrap up the drama in way that makes these two episodes part of the journey and moments to a satisfying resolution rather than a detour.

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🤍

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WYW is an observant person, therefore she absorbs the energy around her…

I've only watched a few clips of the newer episodes because I currently have this drama on hold…

With that being said, the scene where WYW overhears her bf's sister trying to persuade him that his relationship with her isn't really something to be proud of (that's how I interpreted her words).. WYW sucked those words right up like a vacuum and believed that it must be true.. She has explained before it's hard for her to process who is being genuine and who isn't. She is used to hearing the negative views about her, because most people agree with those views. It's rare for her to come across someone who doesn't, and when she does find gems along the way who don't view her disability as an obstacle but just view her as a person who has feelings too, then it allows her to empty all the words of trash she's carried along the way…

I'm guessing she would have like to have heard the ML say he is happy with her or something like that.. She is probably doubting that she can make him happy and would have liked some reassurance…

Him on the other hand during the breakup I would have liked if he could have been a bit more understanding. (Not saying his feelings don't matter) but I mean because it takes more time for her to process things and get her words right.. WYW shows her feelings, when she disapproves of something, it shows on her face. When she is happy, sad, or angry, it shows on her face and it might take a little bit for her to voice how she feels. It's hard for her to realize certain things based on other people's gestures, she needs to be in a way reassured of how the other person is feeling. We all know the ML is happy with her, but she can't see that or ask him if she does. Just like when she couldn't tell he was doing everything on her list because he likes her and wants to spend time with her. To him they were dating, to her they were just getting to know one another.. She makes decisions based on words and her own understanding of them. Ml makes decisions based on his emotions.. They say actions speak louder than words but not for WYW unless someone explains it to her.

Which is why I understand why the Ml lashed out in a way, he just got heartbroken. At the same time he could have gathered his thoughts a little bit better and later tried to talk to her about it.. But then again, when you're emotional, you tend to say/act a certain way before processing the situation.. I don't think he should have treated the breakup like any ordinary one and gone out drinking but I guess that was the writer's way of showing how distraught he is… I might end up coming back with a different pov and comment something else once I actually watch these episodes.

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One thing about this breakup is unsettling. YW didn't explain and JH didn't get the chance. so him being highly emotional can't let him decide on what to do ... Yet ... He can only guess why YW broke up with him (Which he did awfully ... I mean, why would he thing dolphins are the cause?)

And by the way, isn't talking bad about a guest who is still in your house a bad habbit, impolite and not acceptable? It was clear YW was trying to impress them(even in a an unusual way). Shouldn't the host have yhe courtesy to wait untill YW leave?

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Oh yes, it is definitely impolite to speak about your guess that way, especially if they are still in the house. Sadly, that is how a lot of people tend to treat others they quite don't understand.

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Even the brother in law tried to be like "hey we shouldn't be talking about her since she's still here and can hear us", but his sister persisted.

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The bar for men is really low when all it took Suyeon to fall for Minwoo was for him to, temporarily, not be a jerk 😔.

Can't believe we also got the Ep. 14 break-up. How did this show turn into trope roulette?

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Im not surprise that happen. WYW did say in a few eps that it is hard to love a person with autism. People will constantly judge their relationship and YW is very much aware of it. However, this time it hit YW much harder coz it comes from JH family. I just hope JH find the real reason and reminds YW what he said before the kiss… that he is going to love her even if it’s hard.

With that said, I’m not gonna say they break up since they are in a dating phase or in YW terms getting to know each other. Come on 🐳 couple, let’s get that happy ending!

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That's what I thought. She was impressed he lifted her suitcase? Please. Strangers help lift suitcases on airplanes. But then I'm not happy with this pairing. I feel like he went too far and it would be very hard for him to redeem himself.

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I am so tired of the way kdramas feel the need to redeem everyone too. Either don't make them do such cartoonishly evil things in a seemingly everyday workplace or just go the whole hog. Why all the wishy-washiness.

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I know, I know, the tropes were weird, BUT I did love that moment when they were back on the plane and everyone is tired, hurt, and sitting away from the people they came with. You go out on a group outing all happy and cheery only for all kinds of conflicts to come out.
Also, stupid stomach cancer aside, I loved how happy and playful Myeong-suk was. The three jokesters on the plane, in the car, were amazing.

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Just in case people forget, the hallmark of autism is communication deficit, i.e, their inability to communicate as neurotypical people do. So the wrinkle in their relationship is sure to happen, sooner or later. Failure to communicate will continue to hound them and unless they find a way to hold on and overcome this the relationship is bound to fail. I actually applaud how the writers wrote the break up scene because it was consistent with WYW as an autistic character. Unfortunately for Jun-ho, he must also learn that it takes time for WYW to learn how to explain what she feels. And he has to be the to continue to bridge the communication divide. Yes, it is an unequal relationship if viewed that way but WYW has so much love to give too, she just can't express it well.

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* the one to continue... (Badly need the edit button)

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Let's make a partition to push for that edit button, @jingbee!!

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It's a shame that ~break up because of lack of communication~ is such a poorly used trope in literally every {and neurotypical at that} rom com almost ever, because it makes something like this, where the obstacle in communication has extra grounding, if not more legitimate overall, suffer.
I still think there was probably a way to bring up this communication hurdle, which is a good thing to address certainly, for our Whale OTP without feeling so typical of the tired use in other Rom Coms, and that that probably would've been better, but if they handle it well next week in resolution and development for WYW I'll be ok with it.

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Sorry, have to disagree with you, @sicarius. I prefer they break up right now because Junho still have tonnes of misunderstanding on how to live with a person with ASD. Ask her to hold hand? It's a no no, since Youngwoo is not comfortable on touching other person. She even doesn't feel right to look at others in the eyes. He may have known how to comfort her when sensory attack (the car accident in Episode 11), but he still complaint to her about her "dating suggestions" (in Episode 12), which she does things all by herself.

Youngwoo's dad did tell her (in Episode 3) living with her sometimes feel lonely. This is no joke. A colleague of mine has a 20-year-old daughter with serious ASD (more like the Pengsoo guy). She can't even come back to work in this pandemic and need an extensive leave (way longer than Youngwoo's) simply because she finds no one to take care of her daughter. Youngwoo is way more clever, but she still has those problems on communication. Junho do need this breakup to re-evaluate the relationship. What he need to do this time, is to find her dad and understand how to communicate with her, and make sure himself to be fully prepared psychologically to go long term.

Youngwoo, on the other hand, starts to consider Junho's happiness, an act to consider others and not only herself. This is a progress, and a serious problem they need to face together, although you may think she treat the problem wrongly. Junho, need to help her take care of her fear, on the other hand, because a relationship can't be one-sided.

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I understand your argument, I even actually agree with you on some points- but I still don't think it's the only way to have shown development over this, nor do I believe it to be the sole narrative option they could've taken to develop this couple, either after their kiss in episode 10, and the "I Will Love You Still", or in these episodes either, ASD or no... *shrugs*

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I agree the break up was done in line with YW's character and though I also hate it I do see it as necessary and bound to happen on the way. In fact not very realistic if dating an autistic person has only small bumps and problems that Junho sweeps under the carpet by putting up strong and steadfast front. The misgivings that others around them has for their relationship will hit YW much harder than Junho though we have been seeing mainly the reactions from Junho. For YW, Jun ho's expression of disappointment at their different takes on whether they are dating or just getting to know each other stage + the words from his sister + her father's once comment about being lonely led her to the decision which obviously is v painful for her. Unlike Jun ho who can vent his feelings over a drink with friends, YW who can't really express or even identify her emotions has no such channel. She doesn't sing out her feelings at KTV but just quietly listens with tears wetting her eyes. My heart went out for her.

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Okay, I have to let it out.....So Ep-14 may be the most disappointing episode so far. The writing has been good until this but now I feel they kept too many twist and turns for the last episodes. Like we were already dealing about revealation of Young Woo's birth secret, that is still on the shelf and writers are introducing attorney Jung's illness, a new loveline, a redemption arc for Min Woo?? Why?? and Why NOW???
To be honest, I knew from the beginning that they won't make MinWoo a villain, he has just a scumbug. His enmity towards Young Woo originated from his own inferiority complex. He wants to survive in this company and Young Woo is the only obstacle. I don't think skill wise he felt threatened by Su Yeon inspite of her privileged background. Apart from Young Woo, he is not hostile to others and his inferiority complex may have a reason. But the viewers suddenly cant sympathize with him with just one dialogue, "oh, I am the breadwinner of the family" . This dialogue might have worked when he told Young Woo that she was not an adult she didn't ever arrange a meal for her father. If the writers wanted a redemption arc, then they should have shown snippets of his generous side. Min woo did not have to buy flowers from a helpless Jeju lady, he could do it in Seoul too.
Coming to the new loveline, Yes I could foresee that too. May be because of my several years of Kdrama watching experience, I could tell Su-Yeon had a different love interest when she did not beave like a despicable Kdrama female lead. Think about it, we always get second lead syndrome from male characters, not the female ones. And like my previous point, they could have set up the base of this new pairing earlier. Now its hard to believe. It feels like they are giving all the credits to Jeju.
I am not sure, what are they going to do with Young Woo and Jun Ho's break up either because the problem is not something that they would find a solution overnight and only two episodes are not enough.
I didn't understand introducing attorney's cancer arc at the last moment.

right now its too much on the plate !!!!!!!

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The writer is trying to load us with info whale style like YW. Lol. Anyway I wonder if writer is also trying to highlight the influence of environment on a person in the case of Min Woo. Outside of the competitive office, he is actually a normal nice guy? Like in Min Woo's own words "because thia is Jejudo". But honestly there's not enough length of screen time to put across this message and ends up half hearted attempt. Writer got greedy towards the end of this wonderful drama. Quite a pity.

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It's hard to see how how we get from this point to a satisfying ending for YWY, Jun-ho, the Hanbada crew, Dad, Geu-ra-mi and Hairy.

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Anyone else extremely confused by the abrupt change in Min Woo’s characterization and the romance between him and the other lawyer? This feels extremely forced with only 2 episodes to go. Additionally I am also not understanding the development with lawyer Jung’s illness and how it contributes to the overall story.

Let’s see what the final 2 episodes bring but I am quite confused and concerned at the direction the drama is now taking.

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Totally agree. MW was on a point of no return after what he did to WYW in ep 12. Suddenly being nice and having to be the sole breadwinner doesnt make up for his growing list of bad behaviour.

Pairing him with Sunshine was so painful to watch. I rather he gets falsely accused of a crime and WYW saving his ass as a better plot for his redemption. But lets see where the writer takes us.

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Hm. Well, Min Woo is a feral corporate lawyer but he has never been anti-Sunshine and has occasionally seemed to have a low-key crush on her (though the kind he’d never imagine going anywhere or even attempting to pursue). HE knows he’s a bastard, too. And as for Sunshine, she’s looking for a nice man to date. She’s managed to date one guy who seemed nice but was a conman. And she’s met a bunch of others who are looking for a wife with specs, not looking for HER.

So when they end up in a tropical environment with a boss who’s clearly cutting loose, and neither of them are leading the case… This outcome isn’t exactly unusual. From Min Woo’s side, taken out of Seoul he seems to loosen up. Sunshine is jabbing him, expecting to get the usual reaction, and instead gets a laugh and a shrug.

So for him, this is Relaxed Min Woo, a side of him we never see but isn’t actually a huge leap for him. And for her, here’s a guy she already knows much of the worst of but who is now showing his good side - so the reverse of her prior bad boyfriend. Honestly, this is a recipe for an entanglement.

Not necessarily a successful one!!! But now she knows he’s capable of being more balanced she’s curious, and he is absolutely blown away that he might actually have a chance with her, so it’ll be interesting to see if his desire to remain in her good graces will impact his behavior. Because god knows, if he harms WYW, Sunshine will never speak to him again and Jun Ho won’t either.

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My issue is the timing of the change this late in the drama. Min Woo’s last action before this was going to see Woo’s mother to conspire to get her to leave the law firm. He’s exhibited very little redeeming qualities to date so this is a very sudden change which does not seem to fit.

I wish the writers had done a better job of portraying a more nuanced individual throughout the drama rather than painting him as a villain and oh now look at the last minute he’s got redeeming qualities…it just doesn’t flow.

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If this is a ploy to get us to both want to stone Min-woo and at the same time shower him with sincere understanding, EAW is doing a very good job. I actually forgot that he's been nursing a crush on Su-yeon that he himself isn't aware of.
But as you said, the timing is jarring. The timing is a huge source of conflict. It is a very tight spot I must say but it is a daring move by the writers. Whatever they have in store for Min-woo next week will be typical of Our Blues's character turnarounds - force our heads and hands to understand Min-woo's POV.

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Well, they are pretty much doing all the things that I hoped they wouldn’t do with this story. Myeong-seok has a serious illness, Sunshine and Min-woo are catching feelings for each other, and we had an episode 14 breakup. Sigh. Are there just no other ideas out there? Do writers not know how boring and overdone these storylines are? Someday there will be a drama couple who have a problem and are able to resolve it without breaking up. It will be like spotting a Yangtze River Dolphin and I’ll be here to cheer from the sidelines when it happens.

I was here for Junho’s rush of feelings last week, when he explained that he was hurt because they had different understandings of their relationship. But I wanted them to talk about it more, and I feel like they missed that opportunity again this week. I also wish they would discover something that they have in common. When they are at work they are fine, because they are both interested in and invested in the cases they are working on, but it seems like an unsustainable relationship if that’s the only thing they share. The breakup happened early enough in the episode that I also hoped they would talk about it and resolve it before we ended things for this week, but alas no.

Did Min-woo just decide to take a break this week? After his totally appalling behavior last episode, I assumed he was all-in, but there was no sabotage at all this time. I wish they had never introduced this storyline in the first place, but it’s also weird just to forget about it immediately.

Seeing Myeong-seok’s failed relationship was so heartbreaking, as was seeing his ex-wife (who clearly still cares about him) witness how different he was when he started talking to Young-woo about the case. It was a lot like Young-woo really. She doesn’t know how to give Junho the answers he needs from her, and doesn’t have any practice with that kind of relationship, but lights up when talking about the case. I hope Young-woo figures out how to communicate more with Junho, and I hope Myeong-seok doesn’t die! I wish this storyline was about finding balance between really loving your job and the work that you do, and all the other things in your life. Then it would be another interesting aspect of Young-woo navigating the world of being an attorney with good and bad examples all around her, and finding the things that work for her. Instead I have to worry about her mentor getting killed off. Ugh. I will never forgive them if they do.

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"I was here for Junho’s rush of feelings last week, when he explained that he was hurt because they had different understandings of their relationship. But I wanted them to talk about it more, and I feel like they missed that opportunity again this week."

Same. I really wanted them to. I hope we see some progress in the communication between them next week even if WYW's dad has to step in and offer advice to both.

Re: Myung-seok and his wife, it was so sad and the hopeless romantic in me was secretly hoping they would patch things up😢😅

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Same. I feel like we needed to see them on dates having fun with each other especially after last week when Junho looked disappointed on all the dates (which were also in flashback). And I would have preferred to see the storyline more about balance. I thought it was going in that direction.

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I wasn't really satisfied with the last two episodes. There are several reasons for this.

The fact that Hairy and Geurami were suddenly members of the travel group to Jeju Island made for some wonderfully chaotic moments, but it seemed too contrived.

Actually, it was clear from the beginning that Su-yeon and Min-woo would become a couple, but after Min-woo's intrigues it seemed unlikely. I find it all the more unbelievable that the writers want to forcefully bring the two together in the last few metres. Besides, the fact that Min-woo comes from a poor family is no excuse for me. Nevertheless, it is still possible to play fair.

If Jung Myeong-seok dies, I will be furious.

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If Jung Myeong-seok dies, I will be furious

I'm with you on this. A miraculous medical procedure had better be on its way.

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I'm throwing a fit if they dare kill him

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Contrary to what most people think, I actually felt that the breakup was consistent with Young-woo's character.

1. YW not giving Jun-ho a reason for break up.

YW doesn't always open up about her struggles, especially when it is related to autism and discrimination. When her dad asked why she didn't want to visit her school (Ep 4) she didn't reply that it was because she was bullied. All these years, she never told her dad that she needed more professional help to be more adept with society (Ep 11). She didnt say the reason why she quit (Eps 3,4) despite her dad and Gurami prodding her. The only person she told was JH. And that was because the mood was serene and he asked her gently.

If JH gently asked why she's breaking up, she might've told him why. But the air was charged with high emotions, and he was (rightfully) hurt and angry by her talking about the case and walking away. That was no time for a healthy conversation. If they had spoken even more, it would've been an exchange of harsh words they didn't mean, which imo, would've worsened the situation.

She's used to dealing with crap on her own, because it had affected only her. But now it affects her relationship with JH, but she's used to shouldering her problems that she doesn't let him know about them. And he's likely to blame himself for not catching on. Also, she doesn't like ratting people out. As horrible as Min-woo is, she's never told JH what he's done. She knows how much JH respects his noona, and she didn't want to make him get angry at her.

2. Having a insightful moment in the middle of a emotional conversation.

We saw it happen in Ep 8 when her dad was talking about her birth, and she had her moment and asked him to leave. He was visibly upset by that. SY mentioned a time when she was sad about her exams, and all YW could talk about was whales (Ep 7). Another time would be when she was with Jun-ho's friends (Ep 10).

And at that moment when he yelled, she may have realised that it wasn't just the breakup that hurt him; it was her seemingly callous dismissal of his feelings by going on about the case. She could see how hurt he was at that. And it may have made her feel that the breakup was the right thing to do for him, so he doesn't get hurt by her (autistic traits) anymore.

It's easy to blame YW for the breakup. But looking at things from her POV, it's clear that she felt she was doing him good - by freeing him from the 'burden' that comes with loving her, and by withholding the reason so he doesn't beat himself up about it.

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It is easy for me to take YW side in this break up. I am infact really disappointed in Junho. I understand he is in no easy position, but the more we go forward with this relatioship the more it seems that he is quite in the dark about what it means to date someone like YW. What was that bullshit about dolphins and the lawyer illness? Did it make any sense? Has he no idea of what goes on in YW mind?? I was really disappointed. Like I was disappointed in how he dealt with the meeting with her sister. He knows that food is a really big deal fro her and he decided to not act on it. He saw that YW was quite stressed by the situation and did nothing to help. I don't mean he has to treat her differently, but he has to aknowledge that others will see her differently. It's nice to see him all flustered and surprised in front of prejudice like he doesn't undestand it. But prejudice is verywhere and he must be ready to face it to protect YW. Or at least to be of support to her. I was very disappointed in him and his behaviour made me question how can he build something real with her when it looks like work is the only thing that they have in common.

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Exactly. He sees her get discriminated every day. But he still gets surprised when it happens. At this point, however, he shouldn't be. He should be expecting ableism and prepare for it.

He should also know that being with YW would sometimes make her feel that she doesn't deserve someone like him because society is crap. It was sad seeing him think of mediocre reasons for the breakup.

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I don’t blame either of them for the breakup but am startled by how hard people are coming down on JH for his reaction. He’s not magic. He’s just been absolutely blindsided by a sudden breakup announcement and is grasping at straws. He’s been really adept at accommodating WYW so far, but that doesn’t mean it’ll always be that way and in this case - he is a VERY emotional guy!

What struck me most was that when she diverged to obsessing over the case, he has to realize that this is the sort of thing that can and will happen. She WON’T stay on the topic he (and most neurotypical humans) believes to be of utmost importance in that moment. She’ll fixate on something else and move on without malice, because it’s the top of her priority list.

And that’s what I found most sad about the breakup scene. They’ve both been doing their best, but this is an exact example of how WYW could make JH very unhappy. Of course, every couple is unhappy at times, and there are other ways she makes him very happy, but this particular episode is a harbinger of a lifetime of similar moments if JH chooses to live his life with her.

JH was careful to not start this relationship thinking casually, but a lot of the gaps have been theoretical so far. It’s good to understand the true measure of those gaps on a visceral level before going all-in. Talking with her dad would help.

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I think you're totally right that some kind of conflict was going to happen, and is consistent with the characters, I just wish the show hadn't jumped immediately to a break up.

And I completely agree that during the breakup scene was not when they were going to have a productive conversation about the actual issue in their relationship - he was too blindsided and hurt and she was quickly focusing on other things. But that's why I wish they had unpacked their previous conversation last week. I don't blame either of them, but I would have loved it if they could have started to establish a healthier pattern of someone getting hurt, a cooling off period, and then coming together to work out a solution. I don't expect either of them to be perfect at this right away, and it can be really difficult not to respond emotionally in the moment, but that's why I was disappointed they just avoided each other after that.

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I agree 100% with the above. I hate the last few episodes because I like the happy tone of the show and these were not happy moments/episodes. But it think the break up is consistent with her character. Young Woo doesn’t know how long JH debated before following up in his feelings, or that he has already thought through the possible struggles they could face. She is very observant in her way, and since she sees him as a good, kind, caring person, it makes sense she would think he would be hurt if he stays with her. She’s like a person with no self confidence thinking, “I’m not good enough for you.” Also, after overhearing JH sister (which is the sort of thing she is used to) and then realizing how much she loves the law, like Attny Jung, and how that could hurt her partner, it seems like the sort of logical thing Young Woo would think to do: I will make him unhappy so we should break up. I won’t explain too much because I will say the wrong thing.

I also think the Minwoo development is not meant to redeem his character but rather to show the nuance we see in each of the characters the more we get to know them. Pretty Attny Spring Sunshine has trouble dating; Attny Jung is so in love with work/law, that his marriage suffered; Minwoo is super competitive because he has to be - he didn’t graduate from top law school, or have family to help him. I think this brief flirtation between Choi and MinWoo is to make next week’s final more poignant, because there is no way Spring Sunshine would forgive Minwoo if it comes out he’s been colluding with Tae Mi.

I believe this is the end scenario:
- Choi Spring Sunshine was always going to be the lawyer who is asked to stay at Hanbada. She fits the corporate lawyer mold. Minwoo lacks ability to be a team player, and I think that would hurt him as a young attorney.
- originally I thought a Woo Young Woo would work either on her own or with that female lawyer who took on the wrongful firing case. This would be a good scenario for her as she would be able to choose which cases she wanted to do because she has always been uncomfortable with defending the bad guys.
Now I am thinking that Attny Jung and Young Woo could work together in a practice. This would be ideal since a place like Hanbada would not be good for a man recovering from cancer. (He better recover).
Jun Ho will end up with Young Woo (please!). I would like him to work with Attny Jung and Woo Young Woo!
Minwoo will work at another firm.

Anyway, I think everything you wrote above is correct.

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So was the former client who attacked his former lawyer thing just to exacerabate Myeong-seok's stomach cancer symptoms? I thought it was going to be revealed that he had some regret about whatever morally gray, legally valid thing he had done to the client.

I always understood where Min Woo was coming from (even though he is a competitive jerk) so seeing him without that pressure or stress just seemed like another aspect of his character. It didn't seem out of left field to me. Neither was the pair the spares situation. They've always had that rivals dynamic but that can also challenge people/characters to grow. Su yeon ALWAYS calls him out on more self serving, narrow minded tendancies and Min Woo is a realist who truly internalized how being selfish can be a necessity at times. That's not to say he hasn't been an underhanded prick (the pettiness of bad mouthing Young Woo and trying to set her up to be fired are inexcusable). If he can't compete with her fairly then he should carve his own lane. (That's probably easier said than done and wouldn't even be a consideration for him)
Anywho, all that to say I didn't find that development surprising.

I didn't find the break up all that surpring either though I did get teary over Jun Ho heartbreak. This wasn't the first time that it's been mentioned that a person felt lonely. Her dad even said he felt lonely with her (I don't remember if he said that to her or was rememinising to himself) but actually seeing someone who felt lonely plus hearing the way his sister disapproved of her and their relationship, it's not surprising that she would piece together "this does not equal happiness/ I don't think I'm capable of making him happy the way he can do it for him"

I think the most surprising and heart warming parts were where they offered to help the abbot and the restaurant owner. They were just paying it forward and it's nice when people in positions of power and knowledge use their powers for good. I liked the moment when Myeong-seok looked around and it was like he really saw that his workaholic life wasn't a waste. He's made a impact with this new generation of lawyers. In a job where it can be so soul sucking and morally gray, to have moments like that matter.

I just really want to know why the Habada ceo has such a hate on for ceo Tan. It's going to be irritating to me if this is due to some petty inferiority complex, jealousy thing because tossing Young Woo into the middle of that is just malicious and violating. I'm really glad Young Woo had learned about Tan's identity before this stuff exploded in the media but she still ends up blindsided. A part of me kinda wants her to open up her own law firm but then I also want her to continue working with power player lawyers because she builds her skills and reputation.

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"I don't remember if he said that to her or was rememinising to himself"

Let me answer you, @britney. It was in Episode 3, her father told her when she asks about how to communicate with an autistic person like herself.

Unlike @unit, I think the breakup is actually essential. Junho need to be more active in this relationship simply because Youngwoo's ASD prevent her to properly communicate, and the breakup scene is exactly the proof. When they discuss the "dating list" in Episode 10, Junho even ask to hold Youngwoo's hand, probably don't know ASD patients have hard time touching others. He actually need to get rid of all those "common dating expectation" to get to her side.

(Youngwoo, on the other hand, is starting to considering if she can make him happy or not. This is sad, but this is a progress nonetheless, because for the first time in her life, she is considering others, and trying to walk into someone else's world. She is starting to learn to love others)

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The reason behind Hanbada CEO's animosity towards Taesan CEO can be found in this deleted scene from ep 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO0n-knWkes It also sheds light on Tae Soo-Mi's visit and words to Young-Woo's father.

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Oof! The claws are definitely out between those two. I wonder why that scene was cut - it seems quite important in terms of showing the motivations behind both women’s actions.

Thank you for sharing! I would never have come across that scene otherwise.

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Thank you for sharing this! Why did they exclude this scene???! It helps a lot in understanding CEO Han more.

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Wow, that explains a lot!! Wonder why they cut this? Thanks for sharing.

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When Attorney Jung held his hands out as they breezed through the bushes in the Jeju tour with tears gathering in his eyes, I wondered what might have evoked such deep emotions. Walking with him through his story, Jung has been through enough. If anyone needed the Jeju trip the most absolutely, it has to be him. Little wonder he came dressed in Hawaiian shirts, and he’s been the one with the most casual of dressing out of the group. Good thing Geurami and Hairy Boss tagged along, else it would have been all work for him throughout with those work ants. Work has both taken a huge toll on him, and taken things from him or was it that he allowed work to take things from him. I doubt if he can piece things back together, at least to a fair degree. He knows where it all started, I hope he can walk back to where it all started and rewrite some of his history. They seemed like a lovely couple.

Walking through the scenes during the last chat with the Abbot, Jung Myeong-seok earned the title of The Good Lawyer for this week.

On a completely different note, it’s really funny and quite a habit that Kang Ki-young was equally divorced in What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim due to work obligations as well😉.

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I liked these episodes.

I don't think Min-Woo was different than his usual. As a lawyer, he is very professional, he never ran away from his work. But he's a jerk as he sees his colleagues as ennemies. But we know why now. He needs a good job in Hanbada or in Taesan to help his family. But outside his job, we didn't know him. But the fact Jun-Ho lives with him was an clue than he couldn't be a complete jerk. This show portrays grey characters and not black and white ones.

It was nice to know a little bit more about Atty Jung and his ex-wife. But it would have been nicer without the cancer... But these episodes showed that he's a good lawyer and how proud of his protégés he is.

I hope Jun-Ho follow Atty Jung's advice and won't let go Young-Woo. Her fear that she will make him lonely was the reason. But Jun-Ho's sister was out of place. It was very mean to talk about her opinion at this moment.

I wonder how the fight between our 2 CEO will end and how it will affect Young-Woo. She doesn't seem to care about her mother anymore.

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Agree with everything you say, except the cancer part. I find it pretty essential, it is so serious it will threaten his life, but not serious enough to certainly kill him. Lawyer, especially South Korean ones are famous for having long work hours and almost no life. Having a disaster to stimulate him of rethinking his life doesn't hurt.

But more importantly, I guess Atty Jung's relationship with his wife is probably a comparison for Junho and Youngwoo. pushing them to go one step further if they really think serious about each other. Having ASD means Youngwoo may have hard time being understood, and Junho may sometimes need to initiate the communication process, and it can be hard.

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It's just that I like his character and I don't want him to suffer 😥

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I know, you are very kind.

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I think without the cancer part, the drama could have written Attorney Jung's ex-wife to have coincidentally visited Jeju and met him. They could have had few brief sparks, but as usual Jung could have gone to answer a call and not return. YW could have been the one who handed him the phone and the ex-wife could have had the same conversation they had outside the hospital room. There are so many ways to work out the same conversation in different settings.

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It can be a choice in terms of character development. I just doubt if it is as impactful. Afterall, Myeongseok is not in a certain death situation (It's a stage 3, which has some chance of survival, but not a stage 4, which face certain death).

It may seems old style, but people may not make life-altering decisions until he is facing death in some sort.

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Because you don't care about it if you don't fear it may lose, @emsel, that's what I think.

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I wish it wasn't stage 3, so he could have a better survival chance. Stomach cancer is more prevalent among koreans, so at least they picked a more common cancer. I like the parallel with Attorney Jung and wife. Attorney Jung doesn't have ASD, but he could get equally sucked into his own passion for his work. The issue Young-woo and Jun-ho have is only partly due to ASD making communication harder, but also due to the usual issues between couples that if not overcome, would break a couple up.

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Exactly, my friend.

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I do find cancer essential because it further highlights why even though she deeply loved and clearly still loves her husband, it's the striking reminder that Jung himself, or her will not be the focus once his anything work related comes up. As such she had to leave him. Initial it was their honeymoon that began all of this, till it all culminated in a divorce. We'd think that his health will at least give him the POV to focus on his ex-wife worrying for his health but she as said, he eyes was lifeless as she spoke. That could leave her wondering if things would have been different if she was also a lawyer or something of the sort.
I'd like to add that even if Myeong-seok's ex-wife was a legal luminary as he is and as such will be sharing a connection, they could have still divorced because it seems like while it's highly possible for work life to sip into personal life, for most of the time Myeong-seok does not know how to be at home and leave work at work.

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Some people live through their work, and that’s not actually the worst thing in the world as long as they’re aware of that inclination. It’s worse if they’ve married and had children and they essentially ignore their family for work - but if the person is content working, socializing with co workers, having an extended family and otherwise having time to themselves, that’s not actually a bad thing.

Myeong Seok seems to now know that about himself. As does his ex. They’ve probably ended up in the right place.

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Some people live through their work, and that’s not actually the worst thing in the world as long as they’re aware of that inclination

Perhaps if the person is single. When you're married, it is one of the worst things to happen. Funny thing is one might expect Jung's ex to understand after all he's her husband and she, his wife and she definitely knows that he loves his job. But she shouldn't. It's not her fault for wanting him to do what is right by her as his wife while satisfying his love for his work to the letter. And when you're aware of what you're doing and still keep on doing the same thing over and over again, love metamorphoses into resentment.

but if the person is content working, socializing with co workers, having an extended family and otherwise having time to themselves, that’s not actually a bad thing.

Not when you are married. This is a very bad thing if you're married, a sure recipe for disaster. Having an extended family in the form of coworkers and leaving your spouse wishing they'd received the same soulful look you give them is not advantageous, and never will it be permissible.

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I agree, which is why I wrote “It’s worse if they’ve married and had children and they essentially ignore their family for work” in between the pieces you’ve quoted.

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I fail to see how they can satisfactorly address all the plot lines they introduced with just two episodes left considering they will also have the case of the week to deal with. Just in the last episode they introduced several new conflicts with Attorney Jung illness and ex wife, dissaproving family, break up, Sunshine and Min Woo on top of the existing birth secret, Taesan and Min Woo deal, CEO Han machinations and whatever else has been going on. Are they setting up season 2? I don't see how they'll have the time to wrap up everything. I don't need all the threads tied in a neat bow, but I'm not a fan of open endings or rushed resolutions. Trying to stay optimistic but I've been burned before.
I like both the character and actor so the focus on Attorney Jung was welcome but was it really necessary to not only give him cancer but also make it stage three. Something like an ulcer could have served a similar purpose. They don't have the time to kill him off, with everything else going on, unless they plan to gloss over his death.

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The only function mentioning Attorney Jung illness and ex wife probably simply giving a contrasting point for Junho and Youngwoo, as well urging everyone to live a better life before it's too late. I don't see if they will develop that line any longer. Now it's up to Junho to go see Youngwoo's dad, and find out how to proper communicate with Youngwoo (Youngwoo has ASD, and I don't think she can effectively communicate what she think--except using a proper Dolphin analogy). He also need to prepare himself to live with a talent lawyer who may sometimes make him puzzle of what she think, thus sometimes he may feel misunderstood and lonely.

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Like another poster mentioned, giving Attorney Jung an ulcer would have served the same purpose. It seems weird to give one of the main characters a stage 3 stomach cancer diagnosis (which has a 25% survival rate) and then not develop the story line any further.

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I guess the shows has stated that it's a stage 3 (have some survival rate), but not stage 4 (certainly kill him). In terms of a plot device, ulcer is not fatal enough to push him rethink his life; certainly give him some inconvenience, though.

Simply put, people won't make life-altering decision until they see death. This plot devise sometimes seems old style, but effective (as Youngwoo's dad tells her in Episode 3).

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Yup, I agree with you. I'm not sure why they suddenly introduced so many plot lines so late in the series.

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Ugh…I.CAN’T.EVEN.

I started worrying when they introduced the whole secret birth thing in the early episodes, but I ignored my gut instincts. I swept those inklings of doubt under the carpet. I thought to myself, “Surely, this little gem of a show won’t fail me. With how great things have been so far there would be no need for any other generic tropes to make their way here.” …HEAVY SIGH… Yet, here we are. With only 2 episodes left. 😬

Omg, this thought just popped up. You don’t think they’ll leave things unresolved with intentions of continuing the story in the Webtoon adaptation, do you???? No, right? … NO, RIGHT???!!!

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The concept of portraying evil and then destroying it, I think it’s rotten.
——Hayao Miyazaki

Is this week’s episodes really that bad?

I know I always seems like an opposition to you, @unit, I hope you don't mind. Saying the show is being written by someone else is, however, a bit overstretch. After all, this show’s screenwriter is not Kim Eunseok (as in The King: Eternal Monarch).

So, the first thing I am saying is the only point I (kind of) agree with you. Minwoo's character shift is no doubt a little bit too sudden (They are in Jeju doesn’t count, Minwoo), although I have to admit it is not that unnatural. From the time we know he is living with Junho (in fact, it is Episode 1, although not everyone recognizes that until like Episode 5 when they have midnight snack together) and asking him if he wanted to get some of his noodle I don’t think he is a all-bad character. Although we do remember him as "Tactician Kwon" for quite a long time, and we really don't like his mean tactics (I didn't forget he send that proposal to Atty Ryu in Episode 12), but it is not unexpected to see some of his kindness (at least he did suggest Junho to tell Youngwoo's his love to her in Episode 9, as well telling Junho he is giving Youngwoo too much pressure for introducing her to his sister). The hints are all there, it's just we were blinded by his action (and his reverse discrimination towards Youngwoo) for so long, and the screenwriter doesn't give us too much preparation to out him. That, I guess the screenwriter pace controlling is not very successful——she even have Suyeon voice out the frustration, which I think is pretty funny (let alone having her falls in love with him——but well, she did fall for a bad guy once in Episode 11, so why not twice to keep the consistency?).

In fact, having a bad guy turns into good guy is pretty common in many dramas, not only K-dramas. One of the good examples is Seokjo, the Inspector General of Lee Hwi and father of Jiwoon who falls in love with Hwi … Yes, I am talking about The King’s Affection, the last project Park Eunbin involved. Certainly, the best way to write dramas is having no clear cut between good or bad. This is why I quote Hayao Miyazaki in the beginning. But since we are still being bounded by the definition of “Good” and “Bad”, we really can’t see the reality behind them. (1 of 2)

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About the Whale Couples, well ... "She should have shared them with Jun-ho for them to talk things through"? HELLO, do we remember Youngwoo has ASD, and communication with others is one of the worst things she can do? She starts to consider if she can make Junho happy is a huge progress already, because she starts to think about and caring about someone else other then her own, and starts to reach out someone else's world not only her own!!

If we do remember, the show’s viewership (although I personally don’t count it as a standard) drops since Episode 9 partly because the Whale Couples “way too perfect”, “too unrealistic” (quoted some netizens in South Korea). Now we go back to reality and you don’t like it? Come on!

In fact, there are quite a lot of obstacles Junho and Youngwoo need to face, the bad look of his family members is just one small things. If you remember her father’s “testimony”, living with Youngwoo is in fact very lonely, because she may not communicate with you all her thoughts, and she always live in her own world. There are tonnes of examples between them in the past episodes already, and I have no time to list them all. If you still don’t understand, just look at the break up scene and you understand: Certainly if I want to break up with you, I won’t be distracted to talk about something else, like an ongoing court case, but it is in fact pretty common for Youngwoo, because she prefer talks about something she is interested in, and it is actually Junho need to consider if he wants to go on with her.

For me, as a result, this breakup is in fact, pretty natural, and I will be shock if they don’t.

One more important clue, in fact, is from the “dating list” Youngwoo gives to Junho (Episode 10). At this point they have done almost everything on the list except the last 2, and one of them involve Delphinus. This small constellation in autumn involves in two stories in Greek Mythology, one of those is about Poseidon and his wife Amphitrite: when first Poseidon tells Amphitrite he loves her, she scares and runs away until a dolphin persuade her, then she comes back and marry Poseidon, and together they rule the ocean … sounds familiar? Junho confesses to Youngwoo twice, and both times she runs away! So this is the hint she will run away one more time before she comes back and marry him, and make that dolphin-tail-shape chopping board to her father!!

My suggestion to Junho this time, is to find her father and talk to him how he can communicate with her, and prepare himself sometimes he feels lonely, or may not get what she thinks. If he still expecting her as just another girl he loves, I suggest he find himself another girl (maybe Suyeon?) (2 of 2)

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I hope Jun-ho hear your suggestion.

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You spoke my mind. I really found nothing wrong with the last two episodes even the Minwoo and Spring Sunshine loveline though as I was watching I already was thinking to myself "oh my, there will be negative feedback on these two episodes" because many who love this drama have invested too much hopes as we always do with any drama. We always hope for happy ever after ending don't we? But life isn't a fairy tale and this drama has so far been valued by me for not showing a fairy tale, for it's realism. Maybe it has been doing so successfully painlessly and sometimes comically that viewers have been anaesthetized. So when the anaesthesia wears off one feels the pain. In fact everything that happened in these last two episodes is what can and very likely will happen in real life. Anyway I plan to rewatch these last two episodes together. Ep 13 on its own is a v "bleh" episode to me but after watching EP 14 too and rethinking back, I get a this is v well done feeling. Haha.
*This is one of the rare or is it only time (?) that YW's whale moment happened not in relation to a case. This may be a sign she is improving in her social domain just like her stepping out of her world to think from Junho's pov about what he needs. That is HUGE progress and maybe unrealistic in real life if running on a drama's time line. Still, don't expect her to immediately become a communication expert and discuss her problems with Junho. Not even normal couples can do that sometimes

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@znzn84. You are totally right, and I wish I can have time to give you a proper reply. All those doesn't like these 2 episodes has a serious problem: they don't understand the nature of this drama, as well the screenwriter herself.

If you understand Mandarin, try watching this vlog entry. If you don't, I will have a rough translation sometimes later these 2 days. She has just made exactly my point.

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I am Chinese. Haha. Will watch when have time. Thanks.

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Oh I have watched the previous reviews by this YouTuber on this drama too. Good insights presented.

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Neat parallel with Delphinus! Thanks for this.

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Hiii,you line directed at @unit , I think you are mistaken, she didn't mention in her recap that she felt it was written by another writer ( other commentators said this), it just sounded like this week's episode was disjointed and I think half the beanie population watching this agrees with that.

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Sorry, my meaning is some commentator did say that "Saying the show is being written by someone else" (to be more exact, it is written by @lapislazulii in the first comment). I mention @unit, on the other hand, is seems that every time I comment here, I am going against her opinion, so I say sorry in advance.

Sorry for the mess up, @wemimo.

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"Saying the show is being written by someone else is, however, a bit overstretch" -- I never said this.

"I know I always seems like an opposition to you, @unit, I hope you don't mind." -- Differing opinions are a great part of the drama community experience 😉

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Sorry, @unit.

See my last comment for the clear up.

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I love this drama but was disappointed that they, again, cut away from JH and YW in favor of other storylines. I'm not sure if it's bc if they HAD given them more screentime, JH and YW would've talked it out and the conflict would've been resolved faster. Therefore, in order to drag it out for at least one more episode, they focused on the other characters instead. Regardless, the way they went from JW and YW breakup to something else felt abrupt.

Speaking of abrupt, I don't ship SY and Hairy Boss and wouldn't have minded a SY and MW romance if it weren't bc, as everyone else has said, it seemed like the writers were desperate to give him a redemption arc. He's still kind of a jerk but suddenly he's doing all these nice things? Maybe he's BEEN doing them but there were almost no signs of that until Ep 14. If the writers were going to spend 13 episodes having him be an antagonist, why spend the remaining ones trying to redeem him? With everything going on, they actually didn't even NEED him to be one. He didn't need to be involved in the Tae Su-mi x Hanbada CEO x YW conflict. He could've been a rival who saw the error of his ways and becomes (albeit grudgingly) somewhat of a friend to YW. Now he's a rival who still wants to take down YW, but now also has a sad story and a budding romance with SY. It sucks bc I didn't think he was above a redemption arc but not when it's done as abruptly as it was here. You could argue that the few moments with JH where he seemed less of a jerk WERE the signs that he's actually a good guy, but I don't think they were enough. Personally.

Also MH having stomach cancer was so jarring. I really hoped that it was just a "he's overworked" thing but cancer? With only 2 more episodes left of the drama? If he survives, we'd ask, what was the point? If he doesn't survive, we'd wonder why they decided to k*ll off someone who's clearly a fan favorite. What was the purpose of it anyways? Was it so that they could go to Jeju, since he probably wouldn't have wanted to go if he didn't think he might d!e? But you could also just say that he wanted to go bc that was where him and his ex-wife had their honeymoon. No need to introduce stomach cancer just so the characters could go to Jeju. Just so YW could meet JH’s family and break up with him or so SY could see MW in a different light. There were so many other avenues and the writers decided potential d*ath was the answer....

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Lee Jun Ho was wrong in introducing Woo Young Woo to his sister. She did not confirm they were an official couple, but he suddenly made plans and requested her to visit along with him. That is a total no-no even if YW was a neurotypical person. It is not just Min Woo, but JH too who got a personality transplant. JH was always shown to be patiently waiting for YW when she goes on one of her inspired thoughts in the middle of another conversation, but suddenly he is hurt over her going on about the case during their break-up. Also, he also did not pressure her when she ran off after his first confession, but now he is jumping to conclusions about their breakup and yelled for an answer when he knows she gets nervous when things get noisy. For a guy who is capable of gently explaining stuff to YW like the kiss or dating list, to momentarily get wrapped up in his feelings seems opposite of him claiming to like YW with her neurodivergent capabilities. Until episode 14, I feel JH did not fully realize what it means to have a future with YW. He was prepared to handle the discrimination/disapproval thrown by others at him for dating YW, but he did not expect obstacles to crop up internally from their own interactions. I do not see anything wrong with the drama for introducing the tired trope because it is actually needed here, but I can't say the same for some of the other plotlines. Till now I had actual appreciation for the show because it was using every single plot development for the protagonists growth, but now I feel the ratings has got over its head that scenes are becoming unnecessary and ridiculous like Geurami and Hairy singing at the Karoke room which were too long and boring.

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I agree on quite a lot of what you say, @emsel (especially "JH did not fully realize what it means to have a future with YW.") For other, not as much, (like singing), but it is more about personal taste, so it's okay.

About the singing scene, I guess the most important part is to let the lyric impact Youngwoo's sadness. Is it good it's up to individual.

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I agree the karaoke scene was to highlight YW's feeling, but I felt her phone call with her dad about lonliness was more poignant and fitting with what the drama had been doing in the initial episodes.

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Yeah, true, @emsel, especially when their singing is pretty awful🤣🤣. It fits Geurami's character, though ...

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I think the ktv also shows how different group of friends support the breakup couple. For neurotypical Junho, some good wine and good talk because he can express. For neurodivergent YW, friends didn't even ask the reason she initiated the breakup or attempted to pass her a mic. They just created an atmosphere for her to "noisily yet silently" sit on emotions that are strange to her.

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Yeah, that's a really touching part.

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Despite being tired of them in kdramas I agree that the break up trope was necessary in this case

Re:Jun-ho 🥲, your points are valid but... I am in denial 😂😂.

On a more serious note though, I agree that he should have anticipated that meeting his sister was a lot for her although he seemed really happy about WYW meeting his family but I don't think their break-up conversation was out of character. As understanding and good at communicating as Jun-ho is/has been everyone has a breaking point. Their previous "argument" was brushed over too easily and there should have been an actual discussion about the "are dating or not" thing. So to me his "outburst" was understandable. I however don't agree with the whole thing being stretched until the end of the episode. I thought there would be an attempt to talk things out.

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With only 2 episodes, the break up is frustrating but the drama tried to be realistic. Someone in earlier recaps pointed out having YW going to Boston to have a personal doctor/trainer and miraculously getting cured of her condition would be a fantasy. Sameway, if the drama had not shown her going of about the case in the middle of a breakup while JH being hurt, I (as a person from a region where austism is not common and awareness is less) would assume "Ah, so once neurodivergents start dating it is just like any other normal relationship". The message of YW's dad feeling lonely and how he had been unconditionally loving and taking care of YW would be lost, if they show "love triumphs all". As @sicarius pointed out it has inconsistencies and pacing issue. They could have easily cut down on other scenes to focus on the OTP. No one would have this much complaint had they followed the break-up immediately with an honest conversation.

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I totally agree with you that the break up and WYW reaction was spot on and perfectly in line with her character. If she had reacted in a different way if would have felt off and the message would have been that dating is the miraculous cure like you said.

I was just equally " happy" to see Jun-ho's frustration" because I would have found it weird if he had not been frustrated during the breakup and had withheld how he felt seeing how outspoken he has been in previous episodes.

Yes, we would have definitely been less frustrated if more time had been spent on the OTP.

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Hmmmmm see when Junho goes to confess to WYW finally, he does so after that conversation with Minwoo that seems to suggest actually he HAS thought about this and IS aware of the weight it will bring.
The transcript is as follows:

JUNHO: "It's just hard for me to imagine what happens next...
What happens after liking each other?
It feels like this is a big deal- like I should have some sort of great determination.
It's scary to think that if we start things, it might make things difficult for both of us.
With this person, I can't start anything with the mindset that it won't last.*"
MINWOO: "So you think it won't last?"
JH: "No, I don't think that!!!"
MW: "Go then."

I guess you could read this two ways.
1. JH was aware it would be hard but not HOW hard, he didn't realize the EXTENT to which that would entail, and jumped or "rushed" into it anyway and now he's having to face that head on, and internally not just externally.
2. Junho was aware it would be hard and made the decision to go forward with it ANYWAY, and was prepared to deal with everything that would come next and try hard to make it work.

Personally, I read it the second way, and I think this was backed up by the previous line "my feelings aren't temporary!", the following lines "Loving me is hard", "It would seem so", "yet you're going to anyway?" "yes", and also with how he was so careful about how he treated her up till now (-I agree with you though about his reactions seeming a bit off to his character this and even parts of last week), and his deliberate and thoughtful consideration and attempts at balancing his own boundaries with trying to get on her wavelength and understand her previously.
There are times that have been argued that don't make sense (the hand holding, the kiss happening too soon), but I think there's enough evidence to support why I read it this way instead.
And in fact I loved that he seemed so serious and committed right from the get go. That was one of my favourite parts about the whole thing. Commitment is sexy!

I think that's why the use of the break-up trope frustrates me. I understand everyone's arguments for why it is justified in this context. I do.
But I think I would've found it more *interesting* had they explored communication and commitment, and therefore our OTPs trials and tribulations, differently.
I don't really find it believable for him to have not expected issues within their own communication, given how they've interacted previously up until now.
And I'm not saying take AWAY those issues, and maybe I'll get the "oh but it's realistic this way" line thrown at me, I don't know; I just wanted a different approach to dating, commitment, and communication, even with, or perhaps BECAUSE of the ASD representation in this show, than literally every other rom com, because I'm sick of it right now, even when it's more justified than usual. There are other ways to...

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... to write about this. Better ways.

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As @jingbee , @pam3008 , @imperialtitus all have pointed out the break up is in character with the protagonist and the drama. The current conflict seems to be a test of JH's love and commitment (using your own words 😅) to the relationship, especially when one of the partners is non-neurotypical. I do not think the drama could have written this scene to be better, but I do feel some of the minor detailing from initial episodes were discarded in favor of PPL or time constraint or whatever reason because one of JH's assumptions for the break up as mentioned by @dncingemma left me "???"

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Yeah it's not... how the scene itself was written that I'm talking about haha.
But I think I'm going to struggle to explain exactly what my point is any farther, so I think I'll just drop it here and reiterate that I do understand where you're all coming from, and that next week depending, I will be as fine with it as I can be.

(vague-Sic is vague-posting lmao)

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I have to admit that the one season format of most KDramas is something I am still getting used to as I hanker for more content when I like the actors even if the storyline is not exactly stellar, and get kdrama angsty when my faves are reaching the end of the road.

But that’s beside the point. What I wanted to raise was the following: I found that it was quite unbelievable that Juhno would not immediately think that Youngoo’s reaction was connected to his sister’s ableist and harsh words which could have been easily overheard by Youngoo since she had gone inside the house to use the restroom. It just seemed so counterintuitive to expect the audience to believe that this sweet, kind, attentive and smitten person would have first raised the lack of dolphin sightings as a probable reason for the break up? My mind boggled at that.

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"It just seemed so counterintuitive to expect the audience to believe that this sweet, kind, attentive and smitten person would have first raised the lack of dolphin sightings as a probable reason for the break up?"

This was the most absurd thing for me

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True - I ended up concluding we were meant to interpret it as Junho's desperation for *anything* to cling on to as a reason which he could then work through. Without a reason, he has nowhere to go.

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Ah yes, I totally agree. And I found unbelivable his reaction in front of his sister. He was supposed to undestand that he was putting YW in a difficult situation... with the food and everything. Acting surprised in front of others prejudice is cute... but after a while it becomes a problem.

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I completely agree. I expected him to immediately think YWY overheard his sister. To be honest, I'm also frustrated with the drama for showing their interaction in such short snippets. I wanted to see the scene where she returns to the table after having heard that. There would have been so much awkwardness there (on her part), but maybe also on Junho's part as he realizes his sister is not a fan. And that awkwardness is good drama.

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Oh, one throwaway comment...

Long live Office Daddy!!! (aka Attorney Jung).

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I sighed more times than I would have loved to while watching these episodes.

It's sad/frustrating that the episode 14 break-up trope has been so overused in kdramaland that even when it makes total sense (WYW's condition and communication issues) we really really DON'T want it. We don't mind staying in lala land where everything is filled with roses however unrealistic it is.

I agree with every one Re:Min Woo's redemption arc attempt. It was cringey to me at best 🥴. He should get his redemption arc in the actor's next drama and Su-yeon better run.

Lee Jun-ho should please be protected at all cost! He has been flawless and it was painful to watch that scene of WYW walking out on him after dropping the break-up bomb. Kang Tae-oh is really killing it here.

Why did Kang Ki-young's Myung-seok get cancer? This better be the last time they give him fictional cancer 😐😑

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*puts my devil's advocate hat on*
I'm gonna say something quite controversial, but I don't think Min-woo's behavior was out of character. Why? Because outside of his work practices, we didn't really know anything about him. We knew he was competitive and would do anything to get ahead. We knew he was Jun-ho's roommate and to him, he was perfectly nice. MW was never truly characterized as an evil guy, and even his scenes with Young-woo usually had a comedic feel to them (like when YW threatened to beat him up). If anything, I'd describe MW as desperate. This isn't to say that I agree with everything he's done, but I don't think the show's intention was for us to hate him. I'm quite neutral about his romance with SY because, while Spring Sunshine is amazing, she is also a grown ass woman who can choose her own romantic partner.

In that same vein, we didn't know anything about Myeong-seok's personal life, yet people are saying his illness and ex-wife's appearance are out of the blue. I've read hundreds of comments over the course of the show asking for atty Jung's backstory, but now that we've gotten it, it's too sudden and doesn't make any sense. No, it was just introduced quite late into the show. I also would've liked to find out more about him sooner, but this show is (supposedly) about law, so character backstories usually take a back seat. Even Jun-ho and Young-woo's break up wasn't focused on for too long because we had a case to solve. I'm not saying that's a good aspect of the show, because we're all here primarily for the characters, but it is what it is.

Young-woo and Jun-ho's storyline was the only to break my heart. When YW wondered whether she'd be able to make him happy, I teared up. When Jun-ho cried, trailing after YW who was leaving him even though he was heartbroken, I teared up. There's so much love and tenderness between them that I truly hope they figure things out and get their happy ending... anything else is just too sad to imagine

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There are many touching scenes in this drama but surprisingly or not, I only really shed tears at that phone call between YW and dad. The realisation she may not make Junho happy is in parallel to the realisation she is not helpful to her client in EP 3. Both due to her autistic traits.

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I’m ok with the last 2 episodes.
I expected:
- A snag in Young Woo and Junho’s relationship before the series ends
- Hanbada’s CEO to throw roadblocks to Tae Soo Mi’s appointment using Young Woo but show has yet to explain their past
- Interest between Angel and Tactician. I remember the look on his face when she was dressed for a blind date.
Didn’t expect: Stomach cancer.
HOWEVER, I’m worried because we only have 2 episodes left and it’s too late to fully develop these arcs.
Show, I hope you will not leave us hanging in mid air with a season 2.

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Re: look on his face when she was dressed for a blind date

Yeah! If the writer wanted to push for MW & SY to end up together, I'd rather he be the one falling for her! She should be the one asking him if he likes her & him getting the hiccups instead!

Actually when he first asked her if she's interested in him, she flatly denied it (Are you crazy?!).

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Flat out denial usually means that she's probably interested, just doesn't wanna admit it 😅

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About CEO Han...I am a bit perplexed because looking at the preview to ep15, it seems she really went ahead to spill the birth secret. But in logical sense, surely Tae Su-mi should have anticipated that and taken precautions? She did try to persuade a move to Boston and use Minwoo to get YW to leave the law firm (which is a passive active move as she did not actively seek out someone to do this, just that Minwoo came by and she saw the chance), but in both the effort is half hearted? She did not pressurize Minwoo about his progress nor approach dad again or tried anything else. Since she already has been taunted about the birth secret by CEO Han, and knowing the confirmation hearing is nearing,shouldn't she have taken drastic actions if she is what she is portrayed to be? A selfish ambitious woman? Or is it just a casualty of the script due to the need to focus on cases which leaves little length to pursue this? Or there will be surprise plot twist?

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I agree with this. It seems idiotic to me that Tae Su-mi is still pursuing the Minister of Justice path if the revelation of YWY is going to derail it. If she is a smart ambitious woman. If she is ambitious and egotistical and used to always succeeding, then maybe it makes sense.

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I want to start off with how annoyed I am with how Min Woo has been characterized in these episodes. His narrative has completely flipped. Still dislike him and still dislike how my favorite girl is falling for him.

Now getting to other impressions of the show -
1. Glamorizing autism - fairy good-looking actor playing an autistic character who is super smart. Now, any autistic person who does not fit this category will probably be asked - Why aren't you like Woo?
This has already happened in Korea. There was even a trend to "ACT" like Woo and mimic her movements. Like the caricature of an autistic woman was not enough.
2. Her first relationship is this perfect guy and somehow everything fits together?

I do like the show but these thoughts keep lingering in my mind and I feel uncomfortable.

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Oh, I am sad that WYW had been "caricaturized" in SK. I hope the show producers and the actors speak up against this trend. WYW is definitely not the representation of autism.. and although this show's portrayal of autism is mostly sensitive, I do worry about whether there will be more misunderstanding about autistic people after this. Just a few weeks ago, there seems to be the perception that for WYW to be accepted by society, she has to start speaking more fluently and look people in the eye. This week, people are starting to think that the she "should" have just explained her feelings to Junho, when the reality is, she cannot.

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I think it’s been a missed opportunity for the show to show a whole range of ppl on the spectrum and I too have been uncomfortable with Woo being considered representative of those on the spectrum.

I’ve worked with a few ppl on the spectrum (lawyers like me) but there are more with autism who are unable to hold such a job. But I suppose it’s too much to do all of that in one show.

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@cvonspie: I agree. But to be fair to the show-runners, the “This is Pengsoo” episode was an attempt to portray the reality of how debilitated many individuals with ASD are. It was painfully obvious that while Jeonghoon felt love and grief and understood some things, he was not capable of meeting the expectations of others due to his ASD. It is profoundly disappointing to hear that viewers could be so simplistic that even a prior episode in the series didn’t make a dent in their ignorance. But that sadly, confirms what a long journey ahead there is.

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It feels like a double-edged sword when representation is so limited of people with autism that when there is finally some sort of representation - that one thing ends up being representative of an entire population.

The drama had characters literally say that Young-woo is a rarity. Most people with ASD are like the young man in Peng-soo. They are also more like the young woman with the developmental disability in the quasi-rape case. The young woman's mom even slapped Young-woo and screamed at her that her daughter's situation is different from Youngwoo's situation.

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It is a double-edged sword, and while I still like the show, I feel I have to double my effort in explaining autism to friends and relatives who are also watching EAW, as I see 1 or 2 of them getting misconception about my son, who will never be a WYW. However, there are also some who perfectly understood as well. I am in a chat group of parents of autistic children and there had been a lot of discussion about EAW too and its impact to our advocacy. Nevertheless, it just means there is still a lot of work to be done until autism gets to be understood and accepted by the world. I just hope that being vocal about it here in DB could at least help.

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@jingbee: First of all, I want to send you love and my admiration for your advocacy. I can imagine there are particularly difficult times for you which are stressful and lonely. I don’t mean at all to trivialise ASD but ableism has done so much damage and continues to do so. I hope you have adequate support, have access to respite care as necessary and look after yourself.

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In my opinion this is analogous to science and people. It is some users who choose to abuse the science and in this case it is some viewers who choose to take it as representing all when the show already used the right term "spectrum" and even have a case to exemplify why it is a spectrum. Fault is not with the drama. It's the devil in some people's soul that make them use the drama to mock with caricatures.

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It's only in Ep14 that I notice Dad refers to himself as Appa but YW calls him Abeoji....

Office romance sucks! So awkward when the couple had a fight...

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Appa is the diminutive versionas you (might) know. One explanation is that because he is Youngwoo’s dad, he uses the dimunitive form - in Korean, it is very common for parents to refer to themselves as ‘father/dad or mother/mum’ or ‘X’s mum/dad’ - and Youngwoo as a form of respect, uses the actual word because she is precise and meticulous.

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Okay. Whoever kidnaps the writer of the drama, name your ransom and bring her back this minute!
I had a bad feeling with Truck Of Doom’s presence last week, but why suddenly they want to paint Minwoo white this week baffles me beyond words. Spring Sunshine deserves a much better character.
And is it just me or Junho is a bit whiny this week? I mean he knows Youngwoo’s condition, he should try to communicate with her instead.
And what is it in putting our beloved Attorney Jung in terminal illness condition?
I wish the drama stays in its earlier episodes concept, featuring interesting cases with unique approach and out of the box Youngwoo’s defense.

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Well...(deep breath) I wasn't fond of WYW this week. I thought she became a caricature... Almost campy. Her character was more annoying than compelling. She has been so charming. Now I am moved to cut the sound down when she's on.

Why didn't they just ask someone for the noodle dude's name and digits? We just don't live in that world anymore where people don't have people's info in their hands. I know that maybe you can't have a mobile at a monastery, but I just think it could have been handled better as a side plot.

Min Woo... Just... No. They've shown us his soul and it ain't pretty. He's toxic and would be a crap boyfriend. The whole "I'm an adult" thing...? Cry me a river. It's weird that they are trying to "Jeckl and Hyde" him like this.

I can't believe those two old biatches are battling over some dude to the point that they each will gladly jack up an innocent person's life. And the issue is from almost 30 years ago. I always get perturbed when they have women fighting because of a man. Go beat up the man.

I hope that WYW holds a press conference when her ID gets out and she says that she is not illegitimate... She is 100% her father's daughter. She should laud her mother for fulfilling her father's wish and giving her life then releasing her fully to her father. And to close it out, she should bring up that women always bear the brunt of being slut shamed in situations like this and it's about time that changed. Her birth should not effect her mother's nomination in any way. As they love to say in kDramas "this is not the Joseon Dynasty"

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Whoe whoe
I just can't get my sad-mad emotions subside ... I mean, YW needs to learn their relationship should lean on communication and not decide for JH. I get she is worried. But shouldn't being happy be JH's decision which he made when he agreed he would like YW, albeit the difficulties...
Ohhhh and my favorite boss is sick. I just can't comment on this. The actress who played his ex-wife was certainly a face I eas happy to see again
I guess we will see how YW's new boss's actions can impact her. Attorney Jung foucsed in her good sides. I can't whoe whoe the feeling that the new boss is going to be a jerk!
And min woo ... wow ... I secretly shiped our Spring Sunshine with the sweet chef hairy(which was in vein), but sweet MW has really came from nowhere...I just can not accept that. It would be nice if the show made some preparations for that...

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A shout out for the poignant moment that was Atty Jung breaking down in the back of the car at the beauty of the moment and the realisation that there might be less of these moments than he wants. I shed a tear with him. And I will always have KKY on a pedestal - what a star!

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That moment was golden. With the backward button I got to enjoy it several times more before I continued watching. I really felt for him - for the things he's lost, the things he'll never get back, and the things he might lose, forever. Emotional gut punch.

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This 2 episodes were very... disconnected. Was it for us to see how things work in another environment? Or was it writen by someone else?

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These episodes have a lot issues for me. I don't know how they turned out this way but the writing was all over the place, with things happening randomly. To make it short:
- Jeju trip was random. Made no sense from a work point of you and was made worse by the two friends joining the lawyers. It was truly unrealistic.
- Case was weak: in the end they won by simply saying "it's a public road" o wow!
- I was so sure it was a ulcer and not cancer. How are they goint to end this plotline in just two eps it's a real mistery.
- The meeting with Junho's sister was very cringe. And I was diappointed in Junho and in the way he acted.
- Same for the break up. If they wanted to show comunication troubles between them I would have picked another issue and another way to show it.
- Min Woo redemption was hilarious. Right from the moment when Sunshine was impressed by him putting away her trolley. I undestood, right there, that we were doomed.
- Hanbada becoming the hero helping the little people. Seriously? Is that happening for free? Please, no need to romaticize what they do.

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A bit more on Min Woo because I read many comments saying the change in his character made sense.
Min Woo is very similar toanother character from TV: Cary from The Good Wife (this drama has a lot of things in common with that show).
Cary spent the first season of the Good Wife being a proper ass-hole. He was competitive, often mean and very ambitious. His job was on the line and he fought for it. He lost to Alicia and changed firm. From there he grew a lot and in later seasons became one of the best characters on the show. He actually had a proper growing ark.
Here there was none. But the real problem is that Min Woo not olny was shown as ambitious, but also as mean and malicious. It's okay to fight a bit dirty... another thing is to commit a crime trying to frame your adversary. He bullied YW and not just because she was his adversary. He was described as an ugly person.
You can't change that in just two episodes. And in that silly way... buying flowers from a pour woman? Giving love advice to Junho? Seriously? They were really trying too hard to sell this. It didn't make sense at all.

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My sense was that Hanbada was not going to work for free, but that they would get paid by the government for the monk issue and then get paid out of the settlement on the noodle issue.

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I don't think it works like that. First you pay the lawyer, than you get your money back. What happens if the trial goes wrong? I can see that Jung could make it work like that but he has a boss who doesn't seem so inclined to work for little clients for free. I could be wrong...

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I don't know about Korea honestly. But in the US there are several ways that attorneys can take on clients and arrange payment. It doesn't have to be up front. I can't believe that Korea would be much different. Also, the temple was quite a large "business" and the guksu place was historic so... Impressive clients.

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Oh... And I forgot to mention... Junho said that it was the bigger firms that do the most pro Bono work. He mentioned both Hanbada and Taesan. Young Woo's first case was pro Bono. Also... The lottery case was one where the client said they couldn't pay up front, but they took it and got paid after.

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I’ve been watching Alchemy of Souls and EAW in tandem. Was growing frustrated with AoS for issues with pacing/consistency, and here I was, thinking that EAW would be much more reliable in this…until we reached this week.

I watched the episodes once they were released and while I felt that they were jarring on the first view, having had some time to ruminate, I felt they weren’t that bad. Wanted to share some thoughts after reading some of the comments here:

1. Attorney Jung’s cancer
- I saw some of the comments saying that a stomach ulcer would have served as well as stomach cancer and I don’t agree with that.

I wasn’t surprised that it was cancer as I felt the drama had been foreshadowing that he was ill - shots of him seeming tired, looking worn - which unfortunately are insidious signs of cancer. I thought it was going to be lung cancer though, because with gastric cancer you’d be vomiting rather than coughing up blood. And to be honest, if you were vomiting blood with a stomach ulcer you would need urgent resuscitation - probably the same for a stomach cancer, so some suspension of disbelief there.

I think his diagnosis being cancer helps to bring about 2 things.
- one, it sets up the stage for WYW to leave Hanbada. We can already see from the trailer that she’s not going to have a good time with Attorney ?Jang the upside down dude (whom I recognise from CLOY haha). Attorney Jung has been a good mentor and she really respects him. It would be difficult for her to leave the firm without a significant push factor, which in this case would be Attorney Jung being out of commission for a significant period of time due to his Stage 3 stomach cancer (likely requiring chemotherapy). He would be expected to recuperate from a stomach ulcer more quickly and the push factor would not be as obvious.
- two, it makes Attorney Jung’s enjoyment of the beef noodles that much more poignant. The surgery he would be scheduled for would certainly require some form of a gastrectomy, which would mean a resection of a significant portion of his stomach. WYW was right in that he might never be able to enjoy a greasy bowl of noodles ever again. He would have to change his diet and portion size significantly after the operation for the rest of his life. I watched his enjoyment of the noodles and was very touched by the scene.

2. Min-woo’s 180
I’d previously said that I was in the minority hoping for a redemption arc for Min-woo, but even so I found the scenes quite difficult to fit into the narrative.

I think the drama did foreshadow a possible romance between Min-woo and Su-yeon so I don’t think it came out of nowhere.

And to be honest, I did find the interactions between Min-woo and Su-yeon this episode charming and I would low-key ship them, but I can’t get over his dastardly actions of going to Taesan and attempting to frame WYW for professional misconduct.

I agree with fellow beanies that consistency is key for fleshing out a...

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Omg I’m new to this and did not realise that comments that are too long get chopped off without warning.

Now I’ve lost my train of thought :(

I think in summary, what I was trying to say was that I agree with what others have said about how minor tweaks in pacing/adjustments to either make him more of a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ guy would’ve made this overall more palatable, instead of feeling like it was shoved down our throats (I snorted and went ‘seriously?!?’ when he mentioned pathetic story gosh).

I mean, I do agree how people can be different on a holiday and outside of a work setting, but it just felt rushed when they tried to use cursory ‘nice actions’ to represent his good side. I guess they tried to explain it by having Su-yeon break the fourth wall and point out how out of character it was for him.

I do think the actors did well though, so overall it wasn’t that unpalatable for me. The actor that plays Min-Woo did successfully turn on his charm haha.

I wonder how the last 2 episodes will play out. WYW knows someone is out to sabotage her, thanks to Attorney Ryu. Su-yeon and LJH aren’t going to forget that Min-woo let something slip up when was tipsy, so they (or at least, Su-yeon) are going to confront him when the news gets out.

Dad isn’t gonna escape unscathed either, because he promised CEO Han that she could use WYW’s secret one time. I guess the birth certificate is gonna be leaked as proof, and WYW will be devastated to find out hee father’s part in it.

I think the Hanbada team will disband and move on with their professional lives now that Attorney Jung is out of commission. I still hold out hope for a Happy Ending but my feel is that we’ll get an open but upbeat one instead.

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I meant to reply yesterday to say yes we have all learnt the hard way there is a cut off point but it lets you type way beyond it to lull you into a false sense of security. I was guided to compose long posts offline so I can cut and paste in sections and if I misjudge and have to add the bit that has been cut off its easy to do and keep the flow of my thoughts.

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For me about halfway through the series it felt like the show just lost footing with the Jun-ho character. His facial expressions in recent episodes are of concern and caution only with even a hint of a disgust. I'm not saying its intentional. I mean he should have a grin and fondness and sparkling eyes while looking at Young-woo with admiration and wonder.
I can see that he is thoughtful and gentle and polite, but he should also have admiration and adoration for her. She is unique and if he is really into her he should have an attraction that would make him look at her with wonder, warmth and love. He mainly looks at her with caution and does that mouth thing when his bottom teeth show and the corners of his mouth goes downward. A kind of "oh oh what to expect" expression. He is much more attractive when determined like in the car chase scene, or when he is smiling.
Maybe its just me, but at the beginning Jun-ho was such a sweetheart as he was taken by her. I cannot find that expression on his face anymore. Its either the direction he is given or Kang Tae-oh's choice I am not sure.
But I know that a real love interest would move mountains for her and would look determined (especially after a kiss), always ready to take her side no matter what, with sparkle in his eyes.
I agree with other commenters that Jun-ho have became so whiny recently. Instead of talking to Young-woo about what he would like to do with her on a date he just whined and questioned her list. There is no need to do things silently if he didn't want to. He could just talked to her in a gentle and mature manner about what he wanted to do as well.
This is a show about unconventional love for the love of god. Of course we want the ML to be a night in shining armour. That means he needs to be taken by her completely, like love at first sight sort of thing which is kind of what happened at the wedding dress scene.
She would need him ready to be there for her (pounding heart an all) It doesn't matter what practicalities they need to figure out in life as long as there is real love between them.
Love really does conquer it all, and I feel the show slightly lost sight of that.

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I wrote like a 2500 word long review on this so imma try condense this haha. Usually a silent reader but made an account to get this off my chest! Prepare for some unpopular opinions!

Personally I think Min-Woo is an interesting character. It was obvious from the beginning what his background was so the curveballs this week weren't surprising. It was clear where his chip on the shoulder and bitterness comes from. His dislike for nepotisim, the fact that he had to work hard at law school (likely be ruthless and this happens in real life), climb his way to get to where he is, is so offstandish and bitter to Young-Woo (especially after finding out about her fathers connection)... and all of this confirmed by the revelations this week.... it is all in line with his behaviour so far. Whether it should have been more established or obvious is up for debate, but I like the subtlety.

When he had just been 'told off' by Myeong Seok, revelations about Young-Woo, stress of being an attorney, insecurities etc. his reflex is to play hard and to be ruthless because that is all he has known to get to where he is. And the notion that actually all of it is for nothing, or that his ideals would have to be compromised can push you over the edge which I think is what drives him to leverage Tae Su-Mi and to try and join Taesan in what he thinks is the right 'political' and 'ruthless ideals' place fit for how he thinks he is.

But I think its a subtle character arc in the sense we are told that he is a 'tactician'. It is Su-Yeon that introduces us and Young-Woo to him being a 'tactician' that is all about logic, and therefore our perception is consistently this.

And it is true, he doesn't consider the human side - he sent that document to the opposing lawyer to undermime Young-Woo for the womens rights case but he severely underestimated solidarity between women. That moment really stood out to me (really that whole episodes and its metaphors was beautiful). It just really sharply contrasts his way of thinking and his perception of the world. Not everyone is actually out to get you, not every attorney is underhanded like he thinks is, and tactics and logic don’t often work on human emotion or morality.

But then we have the other side of the coin. People think that his decisions to post on the Hanbada forum or to go up against Tae Su-Mi was not logical and out of character, but if anything I think it shows that his decisions, for worse, are ruled by his emotions (see on reflex because of multiple things) - of anger, bitterness, resent. Even I think Tae Su-Mi sees through this given the task she gives him (because lets be real , she, and CEO Han are the real tacticians here).

All in all, I think it is our perception that he is a tactician and he thinks he is we accept rather than his actions. I think he is a very flawed character and I don't think a character should be pigeon hold into just one thing, without considering how...

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environment, experience etc can force people to do things that even we or they do not expect. Humans don't stick to one character which I think is more realistic. If anything I think it makes him 'on character'. It doesn't excuse his behaviour, no, but I think it is more complex than that for which I can have sympathy for.

The fact that this weeks episodes were set in Jeju, removed from Hanbada allowed us to see more beyond our initial judgement. The change in scenery and atmosphere on a holiday or a trip to me has the feel of almost running away from reality to view everything with a soft lens. We see how Myeong-Seok is so enthusiastic for the trip in light of his diagnosis, aka, Myeong-Seok was the most important character on that trip and it was all about him ultimately and he was the reflection of all the rookie attorneys and their ongoing journeys, including Min-woo (but more on that later maybe). People are different on holiday and with Min-woo it brings out the ‘relaxed’ side.
It’s not a change in character, rather an extension of what we thought he was helpfully meta commentated by Su-Yeon on behalf of the audience.

I don’t think Min-woo is a bad or evil person, he is someone with a lot of facets and greyness who sometimes does bad things - which I really like and it makes him fascinating. He’s not a proper antagonist but a flawed character. On Jeju he is still a jerk at times, still scheming, but we also see him when he isn’t.

People say that he doesn’t deserve a redemption arc. Can one really have a redemption arc, if the person believes they truly did no wrong? Do the ends justify the means? But just because a character starts a journey now doesn’t mean it has to finish at the end of a drama…… and I think the grounds for a tentative one are all there.

RE: Su-Yeon x Min-woo thing - I don’t mind it!! I think with Su-Yeon she is very much driven by her emotions, we saw how she gets emotionally invested in cases. I think people are pissed off at why Su-Yeon would fall for him or why the writer is employing this trope, how Su-Yeon deserves better etc.

But I think it is within character for Su-Yeon. We have been shown in the series that she has had bad experiences with men taking advantage of her wealth and connections (i.e. that gold digger who did all those nice things for her with intent of clearing her out of cash)– she has a super low bar for men, she falls for those who treat her nice and she has repeatedly said her type is someone who would treat her nicely. She deserves better yes, but also it is also in character that she falls (that does not maker her weak or any less a strong female character!!!)

Min-woo does not give a crap about her connections or wealth – he calls her a ‘princess’, he calls her out on nepotism which we know he detests. When he is nice, its confusing to Su-Yeon because out of all her interactions with characters, her interaction and dislike of Min-woo stands out the most. Su-Yeon...

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is an inherently nice and caring person that gets on with people, but Min-woo she can’t and she butts heads with him the most.

I know it’s a trope for the female character to ‘reform’ the male character, and that Su-Yeon shouldn’t be used like this etc. but I don’t think she is actively doing that and I think that trope is far more toxic when there is a power imbalance – Su-Yeon going toe to toe with Min-Woo and challenging him/herself as equals and colleagues is a step different from actively trying to make him change. I think together they challenge each other to understand each other or to consider other points of view. As much as Min-woo calls Su-Yeon out for things she cannot control, Su-Yeon equally calls out Min-woo which is a decent human thing to do and to grow.

As these two episodes show its not like they’re just falling into each other’s arms and it is not the absolute death knell or end of the world that some people think it is- rather I think it’s a realistic aftermath of dealing with revelations when you find out new things about someone you wouldn’t expect.

It is human nature to be curious and intrigued and I think it is natural for Su-Yeon to be when her perceptions of Min-woo change as she receives new information and is still evaluating that, or for Min-woo to be conflicted as he receives new information. Whether Su-Yeon deserves this, or Min-woo deserves that…. I don’t think it is as straightforward as that.

Whether they end up as friends, just colleages, or something more, I don’t think its crazy how their relationship develops and I am personally all here for it.
Don't know if anything I wrote made any sense, or I got my point across clearly but oh well! Maybe my opinion will change as of next week, but this is where I am at, at the moment.
I have way more to say about Myeong-Seok and Young-Woo but this is getting very long :’D But all in all I enjoyed the episodes, and I think the tropes work for the storyline and there are so many wonderful things I think shouldn’t get overshadowed - so some quick postiives:

+ I think the cancer trope is fine for the storyline. Because it raises that question of how far do you go? The episode mirrors Myeong-Seoks journey looking back at where he came from to get to this moment, compared to the rookie attorneys journeys that are just starting out to reach where he is and that question of is it worth it? Was it worth it? His marriage breakdown? His illness? All through the series we see the rookies working hard at night, sleeping in the office, at the expense of outside relationships, we see Myeong Seok scared for his life. Its a life lesson for anyone really, is it worth it? Do we have a choice?

+ Although Young-Woo says to Myeong Seok that it was worth it the years of work he put himself through re:the government case, it is clear when he watches the attorneys caring for him, building a case for the noodle shop owner that is that when he thinks it was really...

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worth it to see his mentees having come this far- just that silver lining, you could see how proud he was. Its such a touching moment that isnt talked about enough!

+Young-Woos and Jun-Hos breakup was inevibtale and another necessary trope I think. The noble idiot is one of my least favourite KDrama tropes- A lot of the time when this trope happens, It is unnecessary because it 100 is solved with communication. But in this case, it's realistic, because Young-Woo cannot in an instant express why and communicate that... and Society unfortunately is not a fairytale and there are multiple societal things that have to be considered. Young-Woo and Jun-Ho have to go through that even if we hate it!

Sorry this is so damn long, but thoughts had to go somewhere! I'll probably never comment anything ever again xD

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I thoroughly enjoyed your essay. Please, do comment again. ;-)

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FIRST, thank you for taking the effort to comment. Totally agree.

A bit sad about people not liking the last 2 eps ... but not surprised coz it WAS a hard watch.

It was for me, not because I didn't get where the plot is going but because it was so hard to see these characters go through so much, esp our whale couple. 😭

I do think they were understandable, believable, totally possible... not ideal but maybe it's just how the writer chose to show all the messages she wanted to share in the drama.

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Thank you for sharing your opinion on Min Woo. Hope you post again. ^^

I definitely wouldn't pick him as one of my favorites, but your case about him is very eye-opening.

His logical side vs Su Yeon's emotional side could make for an interesting combo.

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Thanks for posting such a long and passionate defence of this character. I agree with a lot of it. I think his character as originally mapped out is consistent with who he is in Jeju as well.

My only issue is that sabotaging her by sending the contract to the opposing lawyer is not an action designed to get her fired - it's serious legal malpractice designed to get her struck off so she can never practice law again. Hanbada wouldn't just fire her, she'd lose her bar certification. This was a move designed to ruin her career.

Now I know that kdramas are terrible at portraying professional ethics so it's possible the writers just didn't think this through. But when people say he can't be redeemed, they're looking at him committing an act against her that is almost criminal, professional sabotage so extreme that it can ruin her entire law career.

I'm of the opinion personally that him doing that was very much out of character. But, still, textually he did it.

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This is what I love about this site so many people want to share their views on the dramas they watch and when they come to a lively comment section and can see they are not alone they can be compelled to share. I hope that you do feel the need to share again as it adds to the richness to have multiple views in the comments section. This drama and Alchemy have brought a lot of observers into the active chat because it’s felt like the right time and place.

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My heart broke at the breakup scene. But I see the point of it. Specifically how she focused on the case to the exclusion of the bombshell she had just dropped. I'm interested to see how this will work out.
In relation to MW, I said the same as other beanies when he revealed his story. It's tough but it's not a reason to discriminate against YW. And it certainly did not excuse his previous actions. It possibly does point to why JH is friends with him, but i found the flip in personalitya bit jarring too. SY needs a better story there, I don't see how she automatically needs to end up with MW.
And my Myeong Seok! Whaaat! Give the guy a break!

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Speaking here as a sibling of a person with autism; and after watching the show, I wondered if I have a trace of high IQ high functioning aspergers as well.

None of what we saw in WYW is shocking at all.

1. Autistic people deal very well with emotional detachment in a way that a normal person (like myself) find it hard to understand but simply just accept as is.

2. WYW's breakup scene is very relatable. I don't do it that obviously, but it is not unexpected that she's just processed through that scene with the family members pretty quickly, together with the other crumbs of prejudice. Plus they weren't exactly enjoying themselves on their dates. That dinner was just enough for her to figure out (in her head) that the relationship isn't good and she decided to quit. Talking things over isn't her strong suit.... and definitely not in a moment when the other person is just emotionally charged.

I've left people stranded like that as well -- to deal with it later on. It doesn't mean she doesn't love him. She simply decided this is the right thing to do and left <-- note that she hardly cried at that moment... She might do that when the lawsuit is over on her own because logically she needs to deal with the lawsuit first and then process the relationship bit.

3. Autism is a spectrum though - I think most people really misjudge the "burden" she's causing on others. She's very high functioning and capable of taking care of herself. High functioning aspergers people are OCD (I didn't realize how much so but can totally relate to her lining up all the post-its! I've fixed the signage in my condo downstairs as well.)

And in some professions, high functioning aspergers can be brilliant in their jobs. They can zero into issues fairly quickly before anyone else 'gets it'. My sibling has very long term photographic memory which surprises us when he is able to communicate these snippets.

4. Emotions and dating will always be hard and takes a LOT of practice because their brains don't receive emotional cues as emotional cues. I tend to process right brain issues with logic as well... and though not as extreme as in WYW's case, dating life is not that emotionally fulfilling for the other person looking for romance.

5. Flipping quickly from an emotional situation into a logical problem solving mode in split second is common. In college I've tuned out halfway through a rant when a solution to a physics homework hit a Eureka moment leaving my friends a tad frustrated that I wasn't listening. I was, but that 'message' just bleeped in the middle that's all.

6. Saw a number of people complain about the show being insensitive to cancer patients. Ironically, it also shows insensitivity to Autism. That's EXACTLY how autistic people tend to communicate - without an emotional filter and often not situationally aware of other's feelings. What she does works - stating that it is a medical emergency...

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Cont’d

Helped to convince the noodle guy to re-open the shop for her manager. She could have said it more gently but she has never been a smooth talker in the show

7. Whilst a trip to the US followed by a six month time skip is the most over used drama trope - I hope it happens in this drama.

She needs someone with expertise to help her talk through these issues and give her the handles to fall in love and re-integrate into society. She’s smart enough to manage Asperger’s. Her WYW intro and rambling about whales are echolalia symptoms which can be toned down and suppressed (somewhat) with help. Motor skills can be trained as well. Getting off the habit of eating the same gimbap can definitely be trained. She can at least look normal and take some pressure off dating.

Can’t wait for next week 😍

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That's exactly what I was saying last week. People on Reddit are saying it too.

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And besides this is a business trip work mode on. I mean they weren't even an official couple just yet and meeting in-laws... wouldn't it be better to do that at a later timing?

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That Kahi stick does not work on frown-lines. Kdramas need to quit it with the Kahi stick. It's the same version as the one Kim Go-eun was hawking 2 years ago. At least with dysons, you'd expect to see an upgrade.

Jennie? The Saint of Blackpink? LOL.

I loved the part where Attorney Jung, Hairy, and Gu Deurami were making music in their airplane seats.

Seems like this episode have been divisive. I loved it, including the breakup since it brings us back to how Young-woo's father said living with her was lonely. We also get some great Attorney Jung moments, though I wish they had gone with Stage 1 or 2 (why Stage 3?!!). And the case and resolution was interesting.

I can sort of see how Su-yeon would fall for Min-woo, especially since she couldn't see his cross-the-line conniving and I guess hormones be hormone-ing. The only thing I disliked was how Minwoo was handled. He was moving from asshole territory into thirsty, unethical territory the last few episodes and is now what - charming ass with a relatable past?

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‘That Kahi stick does not work on frown-lines. Kdramas need to quit it with the Kahi stick.’ I am reading through the comments even though I am not following the drama and I came across this line and it made me laugh because it sounded like someone who had bought it on impulse and was not impressed🤣

It is so frustrating to be happily immersed in a drama until we are abruptly jerked back to reality because of poorly executed PPL.

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Just a couple of observations... Why is Jun Ho always flooding? Did anyone else think that Jun Ho's sister kind of looked like Han Seon Young? Face shape...? Just my two cents.

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Many issues with two Eps left . I say no to a Sunshine & Min woo romance. The weaponized YWY Birth Secret so late in the story, ugh ! YWY should work somewhere else, quiet and peaceful. YWY is a great character, thanks to PEB’s wonderful acting. The writers /editors , I am not so sure about.

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Somehow... to make YW break up with him without an explanation makes her out of character.
She has always been straight to him, she never hides the truth, because she is autistic. She told him so, once...
So when he asked why she would want to break up, why she didn't tell him??
She would have, she cannot differentiate this "truth" would be different or create a different result as compare to the truths she has told him before, which are basically that she likes him, that she thinks of him more than whales, and swoony things like that.
Why is this show changing my character just to create tension and stupid unnecessary tropes for me to want to watch the finale?? Makes me upset.

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I'm quite conflicted on this. I do agree that they often showed her like someone who has to say the truth, because she tells things like they are and isn't able to hide them. She was more emotional than rational this time. It's not really in character considered the previous episodes...

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After reading the comments, I can say I'm glad I dropped the show after episode 2.
Initial enthusiasm completely unjustified in my opinion. Boring and self-satisfied show.

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The only upside to this week's episodes is that Min woo has nothing now. He can get fired, he can't quit and he doesn't have a job lined up with a competitor. So that's good news.

Also, are we ever gonna learn why Han is going so hard after Tae. It's not like Han wanted the position herself. What when down between the two of them for things to go this far.

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Has everybody seen the deleted scenes in ep 5 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd1MI8hm_SU) and especially ep 8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO0n-knWkes&t=1s)? If not, I strongly recommend you to, because it shows the dynamic between Hanbada CEO and Taesan CEO as well as their backstory. It also sheds light on the latter's visit to Young-Woo's father to offer them both a new life in Boston.

There's no doubt in my mind that this drama has been very carefully written, planned and produced. We are simply not shown the entirety of the footage that would otherwise deepen our understanding of the storylines, dispel our doubts or make sense of alleged inconsistencies.

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Ep. 8 scene provided some good background, why would they delete that ? 😧

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Not for creative reasons, I'd say. The director may be contractually bound not to exceed a certain duration for each episode. That's the only plausible explanation I can find.

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I can only imagine the ton of work ahead of you, @unit now that this season's last episodes have been aired. Fighting!^^ Due to living on a different time zone from you, by the time I'll log into the site to read your recaps and leave comments, I'll be too late to join the party. So I'll just squeeee here. :-D My heart is relieved, appeased and ready to wait for a second season in 2024.

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💪🏾Thank you, @karineonni

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@karineonni too bad they deleted these scenes

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Indeed. Thus I look forward to the announcement of a director's cut DVD, with extended scenes including these 2. ;-)

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They won't release the blu-ray with a Director's Cut but the original episodes. There will be a commentary by the actors (PEB, KTO and KKY for now) and the Director.

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B99's Captain Holt said it best: "Hot d@mn!" :-/

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I expected Min-woo to have a softer side and a possible redemption episode, and although he and Su-Yeon seemed to have predictable chemistry with their love hate relationship, I did hope that the love interest for him would be Geurami, just because he character is awesome.
I did like Young-Woos determination to do something to make Myeong-Seok happy as I think this was to demonstrate that she can make Jun-Ho happy by picking up on behavioural cues. I wasn’t quite sure what the purpose of the escaped convict storyline was leading up to Myeong-Soek coughing up blood- maybe they had another storyline in mind and scrapped it.

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I have loved each and every episode of this well-done drama. However, the last 2 have felt a little loosey goosey and out of control. Not sure what is up with the introducing new subplots when we've got so much going on with our lead characters that needs to be explored and wrapped up and we're running out of time! This leads me to dread the finale week and wonder if we're heading for a Season 2 (?) or a dreaded tropey time hop to finish it all up. I think the whole lady lawyer college feud/birth secret/political manipulation subplot is totally unnecessary to this lovely, whimsical season. Not sure why we even need to go there? However it ends, I'm there to say a regretful good-bye to our characters; the acting has been stellar and a pleasure to watch. I have been watching Kdramas for 3 years now (in fact it's almost all I watch here in the states) and if they give any window at all into true life for South Koreans, then everyone must have severe childhood traumas (along with an unforgettable crush/true love from elementary school age) and can expect to get some kind of GI cancer (stomach, pancreas, liver etc). Anyway, I love this series and all of the lead characters and hate to see it end.

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Since a lot of you have said what I feel about the show, I'll just say this:

"Maybe the PPL multibalm can smoothen my frown lines and soothe my broken heart as we head into the final week."

SO TRUE 🤣🤣🤣

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This week's episodes was an emotional whirlwind for sure!

Jeju Setting:
-Simply beautiful, i loved it!

Minwoo:
-Still an ass, zero character development (ff'wd through that balcony scene, too cringe to watch) and idk what the writers' intentions were for him this ep.
-Understandable on the sole breadwinner thing, its a real thing people do face but it does not condone his behavior

Myeong-Seok:
-Writers really love random deaths huh? (Ep11 scum) really did not believe they would hit us (out of nowhere) with the sick storyline for him like does the writers have beef with him or smth lmao??
-Really hope he gets the surgery and RECOVERS by the end

Finally, my dear Whale couple:
-PEB's execution of the scene where YW was on call with her dad (anyone else loved how she told her dad how she felt?) about JH while holding back her tears tore me apart. It was completely understandable how she was feeling as her dad did mention before (in a past ep) how even though he had her, "it was lonely as my daughter did not care about me" hence YW was afraid it might be the same for JH and her decision to let him go cuz she cares for him a lot to not want to hurt him.
-KTO's execution of "the breaking point" scene gave me chills as we were so used to happy JH but seeing him completely crumble was so heart wrenching as it showed how much he loved her and he was struggling to understand why she decided on that.
-I am conflicted but if we look at it being difficult for YW to bring her feelings across to someone else, it would explain why she was unable to give JH the reason as to why she settled on that decision..(thoughts?)

At this point, I'm really praying they would wrap it up well as we are down to the final two (ARGHHHHHHHHHH) episodes and not rush it instead. I need to see proper MW character development.

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