The murder... was jarring. Why are we still doing these sub-plots for RomComs in 2023 too? TT I'll choose to focus on the lighter elements of the show.
Shoutout to JDY, who's rocking the heck out of her mom-jeans. I'm loving how they're playing into the meta of JKH being skinny and looking malnourished, as a part of his character design! xD Heeng-Seon is awesome, cuz I don't think I have it in me to be nice/ lend a helping hand to someone who insulted me the night before. Yes, she can lose her sh*t when she's angry, but she's also *really* nice. And forgiving. So far, I love the dynamics between the leads. Their effortless chemistry is everything! What else can you expect from the Queen! She also manages to make the character wholesome. So, so different from the kind of works I've seen her previously in. Goes on to show her range! ^^

Hae-Ee is pretty shippable with both Seun-jae and the hockey player. It could go either way. Seun-jae could never make it out of the friendzone, or she could realize the jock was always a crush, and the best friend is the one for her! Heh. They are cute.

The Moms Club, while upto no good, are still not caricature-ish evil. While I was pissed Hae-Yi got blacklisted for literally no fault of her own, but I guess it's all okay in the grand scheme of getting our leads together! I mean, girl, you're SO lucky to get those private classes, AT HOME! <3 <3 The potential for hijinks, makes my heart happy! :'D

I enjoyed both episodes to the point that I did not fast forward any scene. But that ending, OMG!! What was that? The shooting pellets are quite enough for me but murder, I think it's too much uri writernim.

How can some mothers be this toxic? Why sabotage an innocent child's education because of greed and jealousy? It's no one's fault and business that Hae-yi is this smart. Karma, please hit the gear box, I've found the perfect idiotic persons for you.

I'm sincerely missing Queen Im in Under the Queen's Umbrella. She would have had the perfect plan to end anyone who touch her children. @mistyisles, get me a time machine will you? I know who to bring to end all this.

I admit that I could do without the Sky Castle elements of this show, although with the education setting it's probably inevitable. This remains a huge issue in Korea.

Having said that, the mothers and their children are very well characterised, even if unlikable they're believable and understandable. So if you have to do this, then at least do it with characters who feel real.

I continue to completely love this show. It's fun and it has heart and the actors are nailing it. It's also old school; a classic vibe that I have missed and am so glad to be getting again. Yes it's probably thematically weak, being "success is not enough for a full life". But still the growing friendship between a man who gave up his life for success and the woman who gave up success for a life has me tuning in with anticipation next week.

An observation. It is clearly wrong to have a pendulum bob throwing killer out there in the open, but I think the killer is targeting anyone highschooler who poses a hindrance to Chi-yeol. A student who was affected by the incident 3 years ago and believes the best way moving forward is to 'protect' Chi-yeol in their own way from any dramatic or problematic student.
The only minus here is that he also attacked Haeng-soon's shop. And as such I'll also think it's a student out for revenge on Chi-yeol and is pushing to their death anyone who has a reason for bad blood aka motive for murder so it'll be pinned on Chi-yeol. I still don't know why he targeted Chi-yeol at the shop but...

The mom's are awful. But then their awful behavior earned Hae-e a personal one on one teaching, something they'll never get from Chi-yeol for free, coupled with the highest goodwill.

Seo-jin's method of education parenting clearly damaged Hui-jae and she wants to reenact the same with Sun-jae. I quite understand and relate with her pov with Sun-jae sharing the past questions with Hae-e, I'd throw a fit too. But to question Sun-jae being friends with her and by extension forming attachments with people is not it, it feels parasitic to me instead of careful. It's good that Sun-jae can tell what he will absorb from what he won't absorb. I hope it remains so. Do not back him into a corner please. I expected more from Seo-jin but she's a parent in the positive and negative sense and human in the negative.

Anything to bring our leads forward and I'll sign up. And I trust Hae-e to keep on topping Su-a as she's began doing.

Thank you, @mistyisles, for the weecap! I enjoyed that Chi-yeol and Haeng-sun are trying to one-up each other in terms of thankfulness - it's so endearing for me. And yes, Haeng-sun is late in the game on being a 'mother' but she's still doing what she thinks is best for Hae-yi. I don't understand the 'meta of JKH being skinny'. Many actors are skinny, not just him.

After a great Ep 3, I went into Ep 4 with lots of smiles and love, but at the end all I was left with was disappointment. Complete and utter disappointment! The story of moms obsessing over their kids education has been done a thousand times to death, so when good deal of time is spent on it, it just drives away the entertainment factor.

Also, everytime the FL did something naive which could end up in a controversy, like delivering food to the center when they were preparing the test papers, it was extremly nerve wrecking, but going by the previews, I think rumours are inevitable. If the drama is going to continue with such miserable sub plots, I am going to drop it and catch the OTP clippings in youtube. Spending 1.15 hrs of my time a day on the weekend is no joke.

Thanks for the recap @mistyisles! I'm still loving the show and I have to say they give the best lines to Choi Chi-yeol. I laughed so hard when he said a "passing biker gang member" helped him get to the Academy on time 🤣.

The high-tea scene with the moms was so extra but I loved that Kim Sun-young and Jang Young-nam just went all in. They're killing it in their respective roles.

I am loving this drama so much! As LT said, all the “old school” vibes that I’ve been missing. And what can I say: JDY and JKH are just perfect and their Haeng Seon and Chi Yeol are just so relatable an real.

It hurt a bit when Chi Yeol overheard his former colleagues and his staff talking back behind his back. Surely he is aware of why it happens and how he isolates from everyone (he doesn’t sleep on the floor and can barely eat for no reason), but even so, the realisation was sad, just when you are perfectly aware of your flaws and someone points them in anger. Ouch.

As for Haeng Seon, I know her reaction to the fact that Hae-E was expelled from the program was childish, but yet it was relatable. In a country in which status is everything she knows her voice will never get to those who can change the situation, so she chooses to rant, and at some point she loses it and doesn’t know where to stop. It also is so real, I can only love her.

As everyone said, I wish we didn’t have that crime subplot… can’t we just enjoy a sweet romcom? Last time was Summer Strike and it totally ruined the drama. At least I have confidence in this one.

So the scene we got at the opening of the drama is the final scene in episode 4. If the murderer and the person who shoots the metallic balls is the same, we are yet to know. SunJae brother is clearly one candidate, and the other one, to my very much regret might be Dong Hui.

Now I am looking forward those lessons for food moments and our leads falling for each other (and also realising their past connection).

I'm not a big fan of the mother's club but Jang Young-Nam and Kim Sun-Young are such good actresses, I loved their showdown. I liked when Sun-Jae said to his mother that he found her terrifying. She has an issue with alcohol....

I like the addition of Geon-Hu, he's funny.

Haeng-Seon is caring but not the smartest... How she took so much time to understand who was Chi-Yeol. I understand her frustration but she should understand her ennemy before acting...

And the murder plot begins…

I thought it would be a wake up call for a mother once their kid says they’re terrified of her, but I guess not in Seo-jin’s case.

Jung Kyung-ho is made for this role! Those sad eyes in this week’s ep, such a good actor!

Why there is a need for a serial killer in a rom com is beyond me. 😒

I am loving this drama so much! Episode 3 had me cackling throughout. I rewatched scenes and kept laughing. He was so adorable the morning after! And the way he teases her the next day.
I love how amused he is by all this.
And his ‘why?’ Lol. His face.

arghh. These moms. One jealous tantrum throwing kid and parents want to pave way for her rather than educate their kid to accept competition! And another mom can’t stand the sight of her son having a friend and actually smile! (Btw I do love their friendship so far. ).

So where will the private coaching be at? In her house? Store? After they close for business. Oh I can’t wait :)

And goodness those friends. I hope the show never goes back to him being friends with them again. Even if it was a misunderstanding I won’t forgive such people. The teacher friend seems like a nice chap though. I really liked how he dealt with the ice hockey kid. He seems to care for his students. May be that’s what he and Choi Cheol had in common when they were friends. And that’s why they fell apart too.

I was absolutely seething at the shady dealings this week. I couldn’t decide who I hated the most. Is it Su-a, who feels threatened because she’s decided to wrap her entire identity up in school and now there is someone who might also be smart? Su-a’s mom, who is perfectly happy to screw someone over as soon as her daughter throws a tantrum about it? The director, who bends to the will of a group of mothers despite them having no good reason for wanting this student out? The bad-natured student’s mom, for buying/scheming her good-for-nothing son into a program he doesn’t even want to be in? Ugh. Korean culture can be such a beautiful thing but I’m so glad I didn’t go to school there. The hyper-competition for education just seems so unhealthy.

Also, Chi-yeol feeling guilty because if he drops out of the special program his students will be the ones to suffer is a painfully close feeling for me. In the end, after all my graduate work, I chose/am choosing to leave academia because I know I’d be so easy to exploit if I stayed. All they would have to say is, “well you know, the only ones who will suffer because you’re choosing not to are your students.” And they would get me every time. It can be such a cult. Don’t get me wrong, the show is still fun, and I’m still watching, but ooph I despised all the shady people and guilt-trippers so much. I am, however, relieved that Chi-yeol is in therapy and seems to have a solid therapist. Any and all positive representations of getting help with your mental health, please. I’m also so relieved that he seems to have found a way around his guilt (and the injustice) of not having Hae-yi in his classes anymore.

I’m really enjoying the character of Ji Dong-hee. Having just watched Prison Playlist, I was overjoyed to see Shin Jae-ha pop onto my screen again as a supportive and earnest manager/curriculum developer when he had such rotten luck as the smiling and apologetic prisoner Kim Min-sung. And one of my not-so-favorite things continues to be the unacknowledged age difference between the leads. I think it’s totally great for two adults who are 10 years apart to fall in love, but the show seems to be going out of its way to make me think the FL is 40 when she clearly isn’t. I guess this is how annoyed other people are when actors play themselves in high school? It doesn’t ruin it for me, so I guess I just need to get over it.

I really want to like this show, but 3 things are preventing me from making it a favorite 1) the serial killer subplot in a rom com (again) 2) mothers obsessed with educ (i enjoyed Sky Castle but 1 show with this kind of stress is 1 too many for me and 3) the FL is kind of annoying (and JDY has not impressed me yet - I dropped LOST). I will still watch though as I want to know what happens to the Hae-ee and also hopefully they also touch on the subject of the public school teacher vs. academy teacher - the inequality of it all both for the deserving but poor students and the good public teacher being paid peanuts but teaching more students compared to an academy teacher being paid millions but only catering to the rich. Of course that would be a too heavy subject for a rom com but I hope they at least tackle it with that math teacher who seems to be a good teacher too and used to be friends with the ML.

The killer must be very good at math to throw pellets so accurately!

Also I feel DongHui has an obsession with Chiyeol's well being.

I had to write and express my shock and dismay regarding episode 4. Despite the fact that the word ‘romance’ is included in the title, and they do make attempts to add funny/humorous scenes, I was flabbergasted that the murder of a teenager is being used as a plot point! Especially because it’s being used in the context of a student at a prestigious private school.

The world is aware of the relentless competition within SK to excel in educational pursuits. Many shows have been written that show the intense pressure these young people are under. Articles are written that describe the societal pressure, peer pressure and parental pressure many young people face well into young adulthood. The undeniable fact is that many young people choose to take their own lives rather than face what they perceive as failure. The yearly numbers of teenage and young adult suicides is staggering.

I find it outrageous and difficult to believe that the writer couldn’t find a different plot point. It’s bad enough we’re subjected to yet another murder in a supposed romance series, but to use a teen’s murder to move the plot along is cheap and lazy writing.

It’s almost unbelievable that Yang Hee-Seung (credited writer on IMDb) would actually even consider using this storyline in this day and age and that it got by the powers that be and made it into the production.

Shame, shame, shame.

Thanks for the weep, @mistyisles!

I have conflicting feelings about this show -when the show does comedy, it does it really well and in a really charming way. This is the reason why I seem to not get enough of it each time. However, with this continuing trend of putting too many things in a rom com, especially violence in so many levels, is to me off-putting. I don't deny that they do it well - but they seem to be out-of-place for me, hence making me feel conflicted.

There were many scenes that I love in this pair of episodes. I like the characterization of the characters (minus unnecessary characters in a rom com), and I like the topic of education. I agree with a comment above that it is VERY refreshing to see a teacher acting like a GREAT teacher! I think I was literally in awe in that moment when he gave some wise words to the male student there. It was right of him to reprimand his rude behavior, and it was SO RIGHT of him to give the student words of advice and encouraging gestures. Bravo to the public school teacher, you're one of my favorite characters in the show.

I find myself liking the mature relationship between the leads. Perhaps because I'm also not a young adult anymore, I feel like I can relate to this type of relationships more than the fluff ones between younger people. To my eyes, I don't see a huge age gap between ML and FL (I didn't know who the actress who played FL is before reading some comments on DB), so I find the growing friendship organic and potentially healthy.

In terms of romance, I like this pairing of characters. Both can learn and become a better version of themselves by having the other around. FL can learn the way of the world from the experienced ML, and ML can eat and become physically and mentally stronger by being well-nourished. With a stronger body and mind and genuine friendship between them, I think ML can tackle the problems he has that he has kept them to himself (and probably his therapist). He can learn to trust others again because FL seems to be a genuinely kind person. ML should have more of these people in his life.

It's sad to see Su-a being that obsessed of being the best. Been there, done that thing for me I guess. It's sad to see a student building their self-esteem on achievements and failures alone. So to me, she is one of the most pitiful characters in this show. She deserves happiness, too, because she is already more than good enough. I hope she's enlightened on that front soon somehow.

As for the high schoolers
I am really infuriated by Sun-ah, another bratty girl with an inferiority complex, grow up girl There are bound to be people smarter than you everywhere. Just work hard and don't compare yourself to others.
I feel for Seon-jae. His mother is suffocating, going as far as to try to kick Hae-yi out since to her hanging out with friends is a waste of time. I hope he breaks free from her toxicity and doesn't end like his brother.

So far, I like Hae-yi. She is friendly, supportive and smart. She knows very well how tough Haeng-soon has it, so she does her best to not be a burden. Still, she needs to open up more and stop bottling up her feelings.

As for the leads, I am enjoying the slow-burn approach. For sure, the private tutoring arc will bring them closer. They have more in common than they are aware of. Both of them are in need of someone to lean on. Haeng-soon might have a family, but still, she leads someone to count on. While Chi-yeol needs some affection to brighten up his boring life.
I feel for him in the scene where he runs into his old friends. Even worse when the assistants say they are glad he isn't there. Yeah, his comments are harsh and he may be quite cold but badmouthing someone behind their back isn't good manners either.

Please solve the whole mystery/murder/hoodie student arc quickly and shower us with more sweetness.

Really liking this drama, but the murder was so out of place! Argh. The high school guy was barely introduced. He was awful, but I wish he learned his lesson on how he treated people. I wonder how extreme will his mother react. She has a cold, scary look.

One thing about Haeng Sun that bothers me is that she is mean and loud to her brother Jae Woo. The show mentioned how she gets crazy and/or intense when she’s angry, but still. On one hand, she doesn’t act differently around him or treat him delicately. On the other hand, she could be less harsh. Random note, I like her in jeans. Haven't seen someone wearing so many jeans lately, hehe. I'd like to see her in other kinds of outfits though! Or even darker jean colors. Just to change it up some.

Hae Yi is a nice and smart kid. Can’t wait to see her success without the extra special limited class. Excited for the start of her being a tutor and a friend to the loner hockey guy!! Poor best friend doesn’t stand a chance.

Despite some qualms, I really like this show for 2 reasons:

1. the way the main romance is being handled. I like the connection with food and teaching, since those are two of my main interests, but beyond that, both actors are very good in portraying the slow start to a romance trope--the attraction is there but neither character has yet realized it. And of course, as @leetennant has beautifully put it, the fact that they represent two sides of the same coin when it comes to career and romance, provide a totally logical "they belong together" connection.
2. I actually like the competitive Mom angle. I know it too is standard, though I haven't seen Sky Castle, I've seen enough side portrayals of it to find it completely familiar. But even though this show certainly spares no stereotype in its portrayals, it isn't totally cartoonish. Sure, there is the Mom captive to the bratty overly indulged daughter, and the alcoholic Mom who is taking her unhappiness out on her son. But Haeng-Sun expressed well, I think, the vicarious thrill of child success, in a way I had to battle myself in raising my kids.
If they had just left the traumas at that level, when added to the romance, I could have expressed untrammeled enthusiasm for this show. As it is, I'll keep watching, bb guns and all.

This week was pretty good for this drama. The first half of ep 3 was somewhat silly with the leads acting a bit over the top but it redeemed itself later when the Sky Castle Moms took charge of the story. I disliked the murder almost as much as everyone here but I think the writer might still find a way to make this fit the plot and tone and without forgetting to give that murder a proper dramatic consequence. Maybe that's asking much?

Anyway, a bit surprised many people here dislike the problematic educational system part of the plot. In this kind of setting it would be such a big missed opportunity to choose not to include that when it's such a big issue in their country. Almost every romcom feeds their culture obsession with status and money, hundreds of dramas have those silly company power struggle plots and they are always completely manichaeistic. It doesn't seem to bother anyone, meanwhile I don't even remember many other dramas that talked about this educational problem very much, with the exception of famous Sky Castle of course.

The plot needed him to offer private lessons but for the sake of argument I wished he could have stood his ground and refused to teach that super private class. He could have used the excuse of protecting his reputation, he could have leaked the story to media to force the director to include another student instead of replacing Hae-e with a stupid new criteria that had never been posted anywhere. I'm saying this because guilt seems to be a problem for this guy, maybe there was some moral dilemma in his past and he regrets or questions his choice. Here he got another one and despite the correct initial reaction, to fight the good cause, eventually he took the easiest path choosing to let the "fake" guilt the students created to make his decision. Any character could always say he was leaving to teach them a moral lesson, one they needed much more, living in that culture, than a few more ultra specialized math problems. In the end, the choice to give her private lessons, while being better than nothing, still turned a bigger issue into an individual one and it creates a possible scandal for him instead of the academy.

I’m just here to laud compliments onto this show. I’ve always liked JKH and although I feel JDY looks much older in this, I think she gives off the ahjumma vibes she’s supposed to for now. But I hope she gets a makeover soon because she’s beautiful and I need JKH’s character to get his socks knocked off—literally. 😜🤭😂 Anyway, as far as the kid dying, wonder how that’s going to affect the after school program and Choi Chi-yeol. Will they blame him for an apparent suicide because he told the kid to leave class? He might be fine free-lancing anyway.

Am I the only one noticing the obvious age disparity between the leads? It’s not a criticism and it’s not taking anything away from the story, but to me it’s definitely noticeable.

Why every romcom writer since 2017-ish has felt the need to include a serial killer subplot is beyond me. The show gets a perfect grade from me otherwise. It’s got this soothing old school vibe without being old-fashioned or outdated, heart without being overly melodramatic, and a healthy dose of genuinely funny comedy that isn’t needlessly offensive or edgy. Jeon Do-yeon and Jung Kyung-ho were absolutely born to play these roles; I knew they’d blow it out of the water, but I didn’t expect to love Haeng-sun and Chi-yeol this much - individually or together. The show has been an absolute delight.

I know many folks are skeptical about the toxic mothers, but unfortunately as someone who also had to attend some private educational academies during my school years (as a result of a ridiculously competitive South Asian education system), I can attest firsthand to the herd mentality and general sheer insanity being depicted here. To this day, the upper-class ‘tiger mom’ types I encountered were some of the worst people I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting. This is very much a case of reality being too absurd for fiction.

what I enjoyed this show are the high school romance and chemistry between the main lead, rest of it I want to complain about the skycastle element that make me think, is there really happen that every mom want their child being the TOP of the TOP in education field and make every way to reach that predicat even they did the wrong thing? hufttt.... why oh why .....

Loving this show so far and the interactions between the ML and FL. However, the murder plot feels like it belongs in an entirely different show.

With all the serial killer subplots in kdrama romcoms, I'm beginning to think serial killers are just another version of cupid with his bow and arrows.

Episode 3 thoughts:

- If you ask me, the stalker issue and the murder attempt seemed to be forgotten way too quickly. Why would Chi-yeol decide to take a lone stroll around the neighborhood where he was recently attacked?

- I heavily disliked that the entire Chi-yeol/Jae-woo conflict was reduced to a problem between Chi-yeol and Haeng-sun when it was Jae-woo's possession that got broken.

- I appreciated that the cost of the lessons finally got brought up even though it felt very superficial.

- Why did I get the sense that the show was setting up a "mistaken for gay" twist with that hug between Chi-yeol and Royal Consort Ji? It simply felt overly effusive and Haeng-sun's look seemed to verify this reading. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy the show didn't pull this stunt but the gesture still struck me as weird considering that the relationship between the two men doesn't seem particularly close otherwise.

- I really hope Young-joo will find her Prince Charming.

- I appreciate that our leads grew more friendly in this episode. Still, Chi-yeol's gift seemed absolutely inappropriate to me. If it had just been the mobile, that would have been enough. I also felt very ambivalent about it when Haeng-sun mentioned his gift in the presence of Royal Consort Ji and the female assistant. If I were an outsider looking in, this exchange of goods would look sketchy as hell considering they were preparing an important exam.

- I got the impression that they conveniently minimized the issue of Chi-yeol's eating disorder in this episode. There were several opportunities to acknowledge that he was going hungry and how it might have affected his actions (= him agreeing to the schedule change, his irritation at Haeng-sun's gift), so why not use it?

- Haeng-sun showered everyone with kisses at the team dinner after they won the championship? Any chance that Chi-yeol was a(n) (un)willing victim and they are each other's first kiss? I mean, why make them part of each other's past if there wasn't ever any spark there, to begin with?

- Was it hella cute when she lifted him up or was it hella cute?

The scene where she “hides”-though we can see the top of her head, and he pretends to believe she isn’t there, carefully places the cap on the bottle and waits, and her phone rings…. Omg that was so funny. I am still laughing about it

I felt the murder thing is weird and maybe this whole story is developing so quickly. It is also surprising the initial stalker girl died but there's 0 peep about her in the news except someone mentioned she mustve skipped/left the class.

I like what the show is doing with food, and it's giving me John Jang vibes where we have this guy who's from a poor background yet putting on airs that are ultimately making him unhappy. BUT, part of me is also like, if he's to the point where he's unable to eat without vomiting he needs far more than mental health interventions. There are a lot of things that could be helpful. Give the dude some promethazine or something!

I really wish there weren't murder in this drama, but I guess constantly bringing it up isn't gonna make me feel better. Instead, I will say that I wish Chi-yeol had stuck with not teaching the course. Man, that would have been awesome to watch, especially because it would mean the mothers and Su-a played themselves.

I'm late to the discussion, and I know that this is not an important plot point, but no-one commented on the red kiwis ?
This the first time I see this fruit, and the first fruit PPL.
If this fruit does really exists, I now have a knowledge that I cannot share irl (because the how and why...)

I first thought the shooter was somehow protecting Chi-yeol when he nailed the girl stalker. I suppose she recovered but have not heard yet. But then shooting at the window, not seemingly protecting Chi-yeol but definitely back on the protection beat with the death. I agree the death was too much.

I loved the sign at the store refusing service to anyone affiliated with the Pride Academy - except for students and parents.