New heights of admiration for the writers reached this week!!!
Omo - the way Hye-sung’s anxiety disorder was portrayed. A woman quietly working through her ‘stuff’ - she’s sought medical attention, she’s taking meds, she’s getting back ‘out there’. Her mental unhealth is not a plot hinge for drama tension, it’s not pathologised for villainous intent, it’s not overblown for melodramatic purposes. It just is a part of her lived experience.
Then her grief at the youthful/ignorant callousness of Suho in relation to her disclosure beautifully highlighted her internalised stigma about mental unhealth.
Lastly, the writers had Joon comfort her but NOT the ‘swoop in and take romantic advantage of her distress’ type comfort we too often see in dramas. So very much to admire in the way this was played out 👏👏👏
PS - can we give DongJin’s back a Daesang? Am I the only one tempted to frame a screenshot of his back in that snug white business shirt as he waited beside WooJoo in the hospital cubicle…..?
PPS - the cinematography continues to absolutely delight, for example the overhead shot of the tea and macarons at the meal with Joon’s parents 🥰

I am so overwhelmed with feelings I can barely say anything coherently. Or I worry I might write 2000 words. Lol.

That moment of liberation for Dong Jin! So beautifully done. So so poignant. I loved how everything was just quietly bubbling and it just came out. And he is acting on his feelings.

I have no doubts he will now stay strong and pull her out too. These two just compliment each other so well.

I particularly liked the contrast of their behavior. Where Woo Joo took a hit to end this once and for all. She was willing to take a fall. While Dong Jin blew up and acted on his rage. That whole sequence was so beautifully executed.

So many scenes. I rewatched so many scenes these two episodes. This show keeps on giving. And I am in love 🥰

Beautiful write up @dramaddictally. Could feel your love for the show! Thank you!

All I know is, as much as I want to see what happens next, I might need the week-long interlude to deal with everything that’s bubbling up from these episodes.

I am with you. I am re watching episodes so I can reach this point all over again and process all my feelings. And I am falling in love all over again.

To get this off my chest... About Min-young, I wish she sees Sun-woo beyond the boundaries. I know he's Dong-jin's friend and everything doesn't have to end in a nice neat romantic pairing. But I wish this nice tie to be and I want it to happen before the two final weeks. Not something abrupt, but I love what they've been building on and I want to see where it goes. And I know it sounds yucky but I'm willing to look past that. And I liked the fact that she kept her bloodied wrist stain on her dress from Dong-jin. She knew Dong-jin saw it and she helped herself to respect his intentions.

I don't think she pushed his hand away in the hospital room, I think she grasped it. Inasmuch as she pulls him away, she didn't want him to give the predicted cause and effect. She was always assured that he'd come through, he has done so in his business dealings and his lifestyle is all about that. Which is why I also feel differently about her decision to reject her permanent position. I know that her determination is a huge determining factor and love isn't taking away that thing that drew Dong-jin to her in the first place. I think it's also littlely partly because of the cold shoulder Dong-jin gave her when Sun-woo invited her to join in with the dinner with Daddy Dae-hong. There was a call back to that scene when she was discussing with Ms. Baek. I don't know what it meant, it can mean a lot of thing cause it is Woo-joo (I myself I'm trying to see into her head but it's confusing sometimes) but I know it weigh in on her decision to leave.

And, I didn't think Dong-jin would go thay extent. And yes, he telling Woo-joo that Ji-gu should come for his things himself felt like a lovers quarrel I can't describe.

Even Woo-joo is scared of her mom 🤣🤣🤣. Now that's something to have on her.

Did Hae-seung pass the test with Joon's parents. Seems like his mom knew the game she was playing but kinda said something along the lines of I'm impress when she told her to use a better color next time.
And she doesn't deserve what Su-ho said about her(I'm pissed that I have his name in my head) to his friend. Very very unfair. I would be pissed on a normal day but instead I'm more disappointed than pissed. So what the hell was all his understanding for? The guy wowed me last week and this week I'm questioning everything he's said and done? They are true, his thinking about the kind of person Hye-sung is, but was he sincere when he said it, or was he psychoanalysing her. Anyways I'm glad he provided some insight to me about Hye-sung's character which made me warm up to her much more but that's it. I'm not grateful he did anymore even though I'll take the lessons from it. He messed up, big time.

I'm up for next week's drama. And I'm choosing not to count the days so it comes join me like a Voila!

It’s been a while since I’ve felt compelled to write a proper comment for a drama!

I really like the way all the characters have been developed and written so far. I especially like that we’re shown that everyone has flaws, and that it’s normal because we’re human and life is about learning from our flaws and trying to become better. While Dongjin was justified in his anger towards President Shin, I like how Sunwoo recognised that the President wasn’t in his right mind and asked him to just end it at this and leave. The same can be said of Minyoung and the other guy who switched to the President’s side - I like how both of them haven’t been given a very stereotypical ‘antagonist’ role when they easily could’ve been.

I also really appreciate the way Woojoo has been written, with her bluntness, quiet anger, kindness and softness all layered and intertwined with each other. As someone who has always felt like they can’t anything but pleasant and happy because of a deep seeded worry that any negatively perceived emotions, slip ups or mood swings will cause people around me to abandon me, it took me a while to stop wincing and waiting for the other shoe to drop every time Woojoo would lash out or say something blunt. It’s actually now quite liberating to watch her have her mood swings and be angry and for that not to impact her “worth” to those around her. They love, understand and care for her - anger, sadness and all, and it makes me feel less inclined to feel like I have to hide the ‘not bright’ side of me out of fear. This maybe even probably speaks to a larger conversation about societal expectations of how women are expected to behave and emote, how their worth and character is judged and defined by these norms oftentimes.

Also a moment of love for Hyesung. The way the sibling dynamic has been written and portrayed is chefs kiss but I especially have a fondness for the two older sisters in particular. Hyesung’s brand of tenacity is coded differently to Woojoo but I’m so grateful that we’re shown through both these women that there’s no one ‘way’ to be strong and kind. Hyesung’s plot line this week also hit close to home when they delved into the anxiety and fear that sometimes drives us to put up facades and appearances, so 👏 for that.

I have nothing to say that I haven’t already spammed on my wall about Woojoo and Dongjin but again, showing us another face of love, not as something that always needs to be demarcated by fireworks, poetry or serenading but instead shown as a mosaic of quiet assurances, thoughtful gestures, keen awareness, and understanding is just 😍 There’s so many ways to express love and to love, and they don’t always have to be overtly verbal, ‘loud’ or ‘big’ to be considered real.

Now that we’re well past the half way point, it feels like we’re at the drop on a rollercoaster track - I’m hoping and praying with everything I have that the writing continues to be strong, though I am scared to see what storm...

Loving this show. I do love a slow burner and this is giving me shades of Human Disqualification and My Mister.

The leads are incredible and the chemistry between them is quite something to watch.

However, am I the only one struggling with the fact that the ML also played the serial killer on Somebody? I salute his incredible versatility as an actor - Somebody completely freaked me out.

I think anyone who likes romance would agree that the one thing we want to believe above all else is that we're watching two people who are it for each other, and that it's impossible to think of either one with someone else. To me, that's exactly what's happening with Woo-joo and Dong-jin. Each one brings something to the other that only they can give, and it's beautiful to watch.

I agree that watching Dong-jin's transformation marked by little smiles, leaps of faith, and better posture, is a joy. But what really got me this week was seeing him lose it in the hospital when he confronted CEO Shin. We've never even heard him raise his voice before, but there he was charging at him (Sunwoo having to hold him back was unintentionally hilarious thanks to the profound height difference between them) verbally stripping him down to nothing but a worthless human being. This was obviously largely due to his strong feelings for Woo-joo, but I also saw it as a culmination of years of carefully calculated, silent indifference or disdain. He's finally just having a moment where he can say exactly what he feels without apology or hedging, and it was glorious.

I still maintain that Dong-jin *has* to already know who Woojoo is, and if he doesn't, I'm not really sure why it would upset him. It strikes me that he would instinctively understand exactly why she struggled with that information, and her supposed deception wouldn't be enough to make him second guess his feelings. So I'm wondering if there's something more here that we don't know, and that reveal is going to be the one that really tests them.

I loved the way things unfolded between Hye-sung, her boyfriend, and Jun. I completely understood how a young man could be so callous but truly not mean any harm or disrespect to the girlfriend about whom he genuinely cares. But this is exactly why they're not compatible, and also why she should move on. As for Jun, I was so glad he hugged her back and comforted her. So many times in kdramas I get upset at the very unnatural scenes where one character just stands there frozen while another character, who is clearly in pain, grabs on to them. I've always liked Jun, but thanks to his very human and kind choice to hug Hye-sung back, as well as the glimpses of his backstory that shows us how remarkable it is that he can be this loving in the face of all that emotional constipation, I truly love him now.

I didn’t think they’d top last weeks episodes, with both of them confessing their feelings of each other with their best friends, but they did! OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS! I was totally affected by the directing and editing choices in these episodes. The stop action frames (I’m making that up) when Dong Jin runs from his office to the hospital and the scenes in between, with absolute silence, were so genius that u had a hive elephant on my chest and limp in my throat. KYK is just amazing. I can’t help but be impressed with him. LSK has matured so much in her acting as well. The little facial and neck twitches that each of these two have are the only indication of reaction sometimes and they are so good. I usually get bored by episode 10, but I’m intently waiting for Wednesday next week. Now that both moms are in the same city, I’m NOT looking forward to that confrontation. I hate toxic mothers. It’ll make me drop a show every time.

I have to mention Sung Joon. I’m also currently watching him on Island. Where has he been? I love his acting style too. I thought how he must feel being relegated to second lead with KYK as first lead, when he was basically first lead in White Christmas, and KYK was just part of the student ensemble. How the tides turn in entertainment. But I love him here too. So believable and the role just seems to fit him like a glove.

One gripe. The yellow dress Hye-sung wore meet Joon’s parents looked so out of place with this pink/ gray/blue color palette, I thought it was distracting. Maybe that’s why his mom said it was the wrong choice. 😂 I totally agreed.

I love this drama so much for the subtlety of its writing, the fragile tenderness and passion which is expertly woven through the story telling and for its outstanding actors.
I wish it was twice its length but also know it would have likely diminished its quality. I don’t want to think about it ending as I have loved and appreciated it so much.
I love our main leads so so much and endorse everything @dramaddictally wrote. I adore their acting.
The dinner with Jun’s family was horrific and so glad Hyesung was with him. In her lovely ‘inappropriate yellow dress’, she worked so hard to leave a positive impression and not repel them as Jun wanted. They were just awful - a martinet and a strict teacher - not loving parents who our now grown up nosy and chatty child desperately wants. Jun and Hyesung had potent chemistry this week but I am not sure I want them to become lovers. Jun needs the siblings and they need him. Romantic love can be destabilising and at worst, catastrophic to the equilibrium of this found family.
I want to end by saying Jun was the MVP for me amongst our amazing crew. I found Jun’s comment about the siblings being like air to him so moving. It could have been corny in a less expert actor’s hands but his wry delivery didn’t masque the underlying tender emotions. It was almost a spontaneous confession but I am so glad he said it to his mother. And, what he said to Hyesung about the constant dramas of the siblings being both exasperating and necessary to him was so gorgeous.

Dong-jin's smile muscles hadn't worked so hard for years. Even cracking jokes? Be still my heart. He and Woo-joo were absolutely adorable together. I'm bracing for mother-driven angst next week, though. What would Dong-jin have to do to overcome that obstacle? Wrest the control of the house from his mother and return it to Woo-joo's family?

Among the many things I love about this show, which, let's face it, is everything about this show -- I think it is shot masterfully. (Funny how initially I thought the pink filter would be distracting.) The shots floating above the two apartments, the way we see through the office space from the kitchen to the cubicles all the way to Dong-jin's desk ... every moment is meaningful. In the office scenes in particular -- the shots seem to reflect the OTP's constant awareness of each other even as they are in different rooms.

Despite ominous plot hints in the episode previews (should probably stop reading those), I'm trusting that the show crew which hasn't taken a wrong step so far will nail the ending and give the characters we've come to love the conclusion they deserve.

Thank you for this week's recap, dramadictally.

Two things I wanted to note:

First, how much the characters have really grown. In the early episodes, I was worried that the sides would remain super flat, and that there were too many in number to sustain the show. But wow they've all blossomed into their own. Whether it is Yoon Jun, Hye Sung, Min-young, Director Shin... Even really peripheral characters like Uncle Daehyung have been given space to shine. They're all set up beautifully in ways that make me want to know more about them. I haven't been this curious about side characters since Run On. So well done!

Second, I wanted to compliment two uncredited members of the cast for their stellar performance: 'the Back', and 'Silence'. I've lost track of the range of both of these. The Back has been sad, depressed, grumpy, angry, anxious, eager, happy, joyful... And Silence, it has told us a thousand stories already, that no spoken word could match. This show is a masterclass in how to use silence, not merely as a period for rest or contemplation, but for action and communication as well. I also appreciate how the sound editor is allowing us to "hear" and "see" and "feel" the silence as well, by not forcibly interjecting the OST or BGM into these moments. There is so much beauty in this.

Sorry for the comment spam. I remembered a few things I wanted to say belatedly :D --
there are plenty of unexplained scenes and relationships still, just listing down a few:
- Jigu/dongsaeng has seen the photo of Dongjin, Daehyung ajusshi and the evil mom, in the drawer in the flat. Last we saw was him trying to recall who they were, but never heard more.
- Who is Kang, the 'angel' investor who propped up Best Fairs again? Like, how is he related to Dongjin and Daehyung? His prompt was what made D-j go all the way to the camping site. If anyone has clarity on this, do please explain!
- How does the mother not know that the house has been transferred? And in any case, it's not the kids' fault, it's the father who wrote it off, so why is she angry with the children? I didn't get that
- for a show that's been going back and forth on scenes (like end of ep9 and the beginning of ep10), I feel like we have a huge chunk of story left unsaid of the what happened the night before (at the camping site between Dong-jin and Woojoo, as well as after that cathartic crying session between Hyesung and Jun). If the storytelling style continues, we should learn something more in the next eps. It'd be odd if this is just left blank.

What happened between our leads at the campsite overnight? Will this be glossed over or will we get a flashback at the start of the next episode? I think we all melted when they just held hands, just thinking of the forced proximity of camping... Or maybe there are two tents?

I hope we don't get too many histrionics with the mothers next week. The understated moments are my favorites thus far.

Wow, I really am happy I read this recap. I did not have much time recently so I did not start this drama. I thought "This is probably like other dramas with romance genre and let's entertain ourselves by other games and movies". I really did not check anything about it. After reading this recap and seeing the photos I decided to watch it, and must I say I love the cinematography and directing here. The purple-pink filte makes it uniqu and
it seems we are living in the same word as Hoorton the Elephant, or another dream land. It reminds me of strawberry gums 😃 I am happy I am here
One special part I loved was how the movie transitioned from the scene where the Mum is outside their former house to the scene siblings stand outside the farmacy where Joon is talking to the Mum and they are watching.🌹

Never thought i'd say it about this show, especially with a character as buttoned-up, repressed and depressed as Dong-jin, but when it comes time boy can smoulder.

Most things have been said about this episode, but can I just say how much I loved that this couple went camping overnight and we didn't have to put up with any stupid scenes loudly reassuring us they didn't have sex or painful hijinks or awkwardness with her being coy. It's so refreshing seriously. Because they're clearly not in a place where anything like that would happen but also whether it did or not is just not important.

Oooh the feels! So many sweet moments, furtive moments of happiness in the leads; but so much tension too. I just want DJ to find out Woo Joo is the daughter he has been looking for, so she would feel unburdened. I felt for her, she is going through a real dilemma. I also felt for Hye-Sung and felt like crying when she hugged Joon. I wish she could allow herself to just be instead of feeling like she has to perform all the time. I can't wait for these week's episodes.

I keep a list of all the K-dramas I've watched (all the way through), and give them a grade (loved, liked, so-so). I'm up to about 135 series now, and so I looked back through the list to see when's the last time I watched anything as good as this series. Out out of all the dramas I've watched, there's about a dozen or so that hold a special place in my heart and which I've re-watched several times, but I honestly don't think any of these are *better* than this series. In addition to being just so lovely, "Call it love" is so consistent, knows so well when to linger and when it's not needed, and so refreshingly light on tiresome tropes and drama for drama's sake. LSK is doing a phenomenal job here.

I did not know this drama is so addictive 🙈🙈🙈.
And no wonder I'm seeing my familiar Beanies here 😁...
Gosh, I just marathoning the whole 12 eps in 1 sit 😅🤭.
Despite the depressing eps in the beginning, I totally agreed that ep.10 by far the most tearing/ swooning moment for all characters here in this drama ❤️.
And my bad for pressibg the play button as I thought it was already a finished series 🤦🏻‍♀️ 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️! This is 16 episode drama? Oh noooooooo 🥲

Fantastic episode. My only nitpick they don't live next to each other hahaha, does not make sense the ex window is next door.

It seems they're pairing her up with the other CEO. Not sure if everyone needs to be paired up. That one seems weirdly shoe-horned in.

I'm just watching this show now, I have one free month of Hulu so I'm cramming in as many shows on this platform as I can. Shame because I think Call It Love is one I'd like to return to sometime.

Mom is angry because they didn't tell her about the house and she found out in the worst way. Based on the scene of evil mom's new man hunting for dad's will, I'm guessing dad left the house to his kids in his will. Evil mom is hiding this fact and living in the house rent free because she can't sell it without a deed in her name or a document to show it was willed to her. I wonder how the siblings will discover the truth.

Still several mysteries here about DJ's past, and some relationships yet to be explained. I'm thinking he either knows/suspects who WJ is or has strong feelings about the family who his mom kicked out because of the story WJ told him; he has more empathy given his feelings for her.

Even though we have a better understanding of why MY left DJ, it struck me as ridiculous that she went so far as to create a wedding invitation for a wedding that was apparently imaginary, and sent it to him!!! Crazy. Simple communication was not an option??!

Definite My Mister feels here, and the artsy filming and powerful acting performances also remind me of Secret Love Affair.