1. As always, I'm here to fangirl over my girl Hye Jin.

I want to be as chill and confident as her. Her reactions to getting stabbed in the back, or getting a great job offer are all the same: "I saw it coming and I didn't care".

The way she just accepts everything that life throws to her, and thinks about what she can do with it instead of just getting upset about it... role model.

And she probably had the biggest heart ever, because even tho I could try to understand where the director is coming from, I wouldn't be able to trust him again. Maybe accept the apology but that's it.

I was thinking her best option was to go with the manager that wants to start her own academy.

I did like her discussion with the director, tho. They're more than boss and employee, that seemed like she was betrayed by a family member or something. Which makes it way worse in my eyes, because you don't stab your family on the back.

PS. Joon Ho saying he never took the director seriously is so freaking relatable. 😂

2. The high school teacher arc is hilarious.
No one said anything when he was ignoring the students or when he pushed Hye Jin, but now they're ganging up on him because he wants to write the exam for HIS class? I don't if I should laugh or cry about that.

He's probably realizing hagwons are a consequence of the real issue, and not the real enemy. Just like what's happening to him right now.

It's not that hagwons are brainwashing students into thinking that they have to study for a grade, that IS their reality according to the standards of the system they live in. They go to hagwons because they're already brainwashed, dude. And your colleges at school know the world isn't going to change out of nowhere so they're trying to protect themselves by laying low. Mad world, am I right?

But even tho reality is cruel, and many people just go with the flow, he still has the right to do his own thing. I hope things don't get out of hand at school and he figures out what he really can do for his students.

I kinda want to root for him, even tho I dislike him. LOL

3. Joon Ho seems like he's going to be a great teacher for Si Woo and I'm happy about that.
But I already can see Si Woo be like "I want to become a writer" and his parents sue the hagwon and Joon Ho. 😂

4. The romance is here!
Joon Ho throwing little hints here and there was very fun to watch. But Hye Jin's reactions to them are even better.
Like she said, she always seems to have everything under control except when it comes to him.

The kiss was kinda funny because Hye Jin seemed so lost. 🤣 But the "confessions" really made my heart flutter.

Joon Ho asking her if she already knew was insane. And when she was going to leave the classroom and he stopped her to ask "you got the meaning behind that, right?" DAMN.

Those little scenes are the real deal to me.

5. The Gray Queen (like uri beanie Peach Mochi rightfully calls her), and...

What an episode.

1. A big big shoutout to the actor who plays Shi Woo. That scene was so well done and whoever wrote the dialogue, cheers. Everything he said about the class was enticing him to maybe fall in love with Korean was so beautiful. I was a English lit major, and I am a particular fan of the English language, so I genuinely loved that for him.

2. A really need drunken antics to die. It is embarrassing, it is unprofessional, and it is creepy.

3. As for our romance. Wie Ha Joon is so swoony to me in this role. I also love when it clicked to Hye Jin, he is a grown up now and clearly has grown up feelings for you. That was a grown up kiss tto😜😍.

I like dramas that give the time to each character to think to their options and let the public how they ended to make a certain choice. I like to see the process, their doubts, their fears, what will help to make a choice.

Hye-Jin looks like she was numb until Jun-Ho came back in her life. She did everything she wanted to do but it was safe and no exciting anymore.

Jun-Ho fell for Hye-Jin but above all I loved watch him falling for his first student and his new job as a teacher/mentor. He came for financial freedom but he will stay for this kind of relationship. He gives his 100% when he made a choice.

I was sad to watch the teacher. He seemed so lonely. I didn't really understand what was the issue with the exam and the textbook.

This show has the best dialogue; it's both efficient and thoughtful. The fact that some scenes are shot in one long take is even more impressive. When Hye-Jin and the Grey Witch I'm going to continue to refer to her as such because it feels like the character owns this name rather than vice versa) were going back and forth over possibly working together, I was on the edge of my seat, both admiring and weary of both women. Their mutual intelligence, respect, and skepticism of each other made for a riveting exchange.

I also really liked the scene between Junho and Hye-jin in the cafe. I appreciated Junho apologizing for earlier begging her to stay for one year (although I don't think he necessarily needed to apologize for that) but the shift to Hye-jin noting her own disappointment that he no longer was saying he needed her was what resonated for me. It was so honest and somehow emblematic of both her strength and vulnerability. No wonder Junho basically said he had no reply--it was a real mic drop moment for Hye-jin, lol.

I love Si Woo, and already feel very protective of him. When GW ignored and subtly berated him for saying that he wasn't sure he wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to hug him. He's representative of so many of the students in this show we won't get to know, but who, in an effort to please their parents, teachers, and society as a whole, will ignore their own intellectual and other passions, thus stifling their individuality in the process. The show does a great job of showing this reality sympathetically, while also indicating its systemic nature (so it's not easy to fix) without leaving the viewer feeling hopeless or exhausted. That's no mean feat.

Director Kim irked me with the way he vacillated from slavish fanboy to oily boss and then back to slavish fanboy. At first, I wasn't sure why he would be so quick to turn on Hye-jin after one understandable failure that was due to an outsider exerting her influence rather than Hye-jin or Junho doing anything wrong. But when Hye-jin explained to Junho that her bosses have wanted to push her out for a long time because they fear her leaving and taking students with her, I felt the impossibility of her situation. She doesn't do well, she's out. She does too well, she's also out.

Finally, the romance is picking up believably and gently, which makes it feel realistic. I like the sense that this makes sense for them, but is not inevitable. They need to make the choice to want to be together. It'll be interesting to see them get there.

I love this show so far, I was hoping I would from the day it was announced and it's really stayed strong. I love that the dialogues feel real and not overwrought, love the main couple, and love that the secondary characters all feel real. I've seen some complaints about the romance not being front and center, but I think it is, in a very real feeling way where the people feel like they have their own lives and are moving into something else together now. Now if someone can just ban Ahn pan Seok from choosing random weird english songs to keep playing over scenes in his dramas, everything would be perfect.

I love well done slow burns, and even though it's not a slow burn on Jun Ho's end lol, I really liked how it came up for Hye Jin and how excellent that kiss and lead up to it was. Their dynamic is great, they talk things out and her matter of fact cleverness and expertise and his slightly cocky drive and self-confidence that comes out in a charming way so that it's not offputting, works so well together. I like that both leads and support systems outside of work and their own relationship and that the romance doesn't feel like it doesn't belong there.

I thought there might be something ott melodramatic coming up in both conversations between Hye Jin and Dir Kim, but they did it much better than I was afraid of. The first one felt heartfelt and hurt and angry from Hye Jin, and like Dir Kim was both regretful and kind of cowardly but in a real human way, not a drama villain way. And the second one was hilarious even with Hyun Tak clearly being regretful, there was nothing skeevy about a night time drunk call, it was just genuinely hilarious and the falls were really funny.

I loved that Cheong Mi is not an antagonist, she's just someone trying her best to compete with what she saw as an unfair advantage Jun Ho got, but she had empathy for what seemed to be a huge failure from them, and did not want to participate in stabbing Hye Jin in the back in the aftermath.

Shi Woo is a very real feeling character and I hope he gets more scenes. The school teacher is interesting because I have sympathy for the educational circumstances, but he's so weaselly that it's hard. He's making it difficult for everyone, including himself now.

I like this show just fine, but I find I have two personal responses to it that I doubt are shared. The first is laughing at the way some educational issues are being dramatized in the style of a political suspense/corporate intrigue drama. Especially in the scenes involving the grey witch, when she argued to the school-switching student that he should forget humanities and just focus on medical subjects, and there was menacing music playing behind the scene. If only I had a similar soundtrack when I was arguing to students that its impossible to be a good doctor or businessperson withOUT an understanding of humanities, and so students should continue to take humanities courses!

I also had to laugh when the Grey Witch said she left regular school teaching because of her drive for power and authority. Yes! Dictorial power and control! The evil teachers dream!! Bwahahaha!

But then there's another reaction, equally personal to me, and that is, I find moments of this show really slow moving. The whole director lunch and then apology thing was way too long, and it just wasn't that interesting, like watching a employee conference. He made a strategic mistake, he's trying to win her back. Okay. The drunk scene, of course it was just a setup for the romantic moment, but still, otherwise, pretty tedious.

Speaking of that big romantic climax of that episode, I personally found a bit premature--I mean as a logical part of their relationship. I didn't sense the FL's attitude shifting at all. In fact, throughout these two episodes, she still treating him as a student. Based on their previous interactions, I think it would have been more appropriate, to have her jerk away when he made a move. Also, what is this veiled threat of sexual assault, which I always hate when its said by kdrama MLs "I'm holding back, but at a certain point I'm not going to hold back any more." Is that supposed to be romantic? What about, I'm hoping your feelings will change, but if not I'll wait for you forever" which seems to be the common attitude of 2ML's in romances?

Anyway, now that the FL has rediscovered the joy of teaching and the she and the ML have exchanged the first smooch, I trust the couple can dethrone the Grey Witch and start their Hagwon revolution together, teaching Korean youth and their short-sighted driven Moms (always those Moms...) that its love of learning and pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, and not wealth and social status that make for a happy life!

I don't know if I want Hye-jin to stay in that school or potentially take the offer, or something else. Part of me really wants her to stay, but a lot of the people there clearly don't appreciate her and just want her out. On the other hand, I also don't think her place is in the Gray Witch's school. Neither is really ideal at this point, so I'm not sure what would be the best for her.

The kiss was good, even if Hye-jin didn't really know what to do there. They chemistry in that scene was insane though. That being said, I also wouldn't have minded if they waited a bit longer before really jumping into the romance. Kinda ruins the great romantic slow-burn they had going on, and since there are 10 episodes left, I do have to admit that I'm worried as to whether or not they have enough story for that. Or maybe I'm still traumatized by SITR, that's also possible.

And yeah, there was certainly some ominous foreshadowing with the story of those 2 instructors falling in love...

Actually, the bit I cheered the most for was JH following HJ on that 'Night time meeting with a drunk boss? That doesn't happen in a normal company' That sort of thing happens with small companies all the time- people know each other so well that they think 'No, my boss won't assault me/cross the line'- And then there you are, alone with a drunk man who is in a position of power. I know JH was using it as an excuse to go with HJ, but it was such a good excuse that it did not need to be an excuse. He was correct, the right thing to do was to go with someone else as a witness. ( And I loved that the drama called it out as well, though the teachers back at the restaurant did not take it onboard, speculating that the boss was giving her a fancy meal)
Changing the subject, I get that its an Art Direction decision, but HJ walks through the company picking up blankets and towels, turning lights on wherever she goes- except at the end? When she is alone in a room with a male employee? If we are talking about proper behaviour with colleagues, whether or not you/they have a crush on each other, that was not it!

I had sky high expectations of this show, but so far, it's been sadly 5, maybe 6/10? Mostly, I'm just playing supporting character bingo, comparing all the actors' roles from the ones they've played previously. Everything else is just a smidge too tedious and over-thought.

I'm okay with the couple taking off so early on, because Jun Ho's always had heart eyes for her, but really, I didn't feel any awareness or chemistry shift on the FL's part over time. So for her to just accept that (admittedly swoony and screen melting) confession and kiss in the last episode just felt a bit meh to me. As it is, there was that particularly cringey scene from ep 3/4 where she's giggling over their texts which had me rolling eyes at the borderline inappropriateness of it.

I've liked Jung Ryo Won in her other roles, but this one isn't clicking for me somehow, though I appreciate how they're showing her character's journey, both personally and professionally.
Wi Ha Jun is cute and his character has shown some growth from man-boy to adult, and may I take a moment's appreciation for his arms in the last scene Lol. Man's worked hard for them, so it's due.

Also, the Curse of the AhnPan Seok OST... I didn't go past Something in the Rain ep 3 so was spared, I get through rewatches of Spring Night by muting, and I'll have to do it again with this... Why this obsession for weird CSNY/Paul Young mashups over and over again, coupled with StarWars-y ominous music while eating PPL Subway?

I'd also like to send a coffee truck to Kdrama writers who take seemingly banal professions like teaching, or accounting, and soon, auditing, to such nail-biting, save-the-world-through-Excel sheets, heights!

I also want to write them a petition to set one drama in the super exciting world of design and/or architecture. After all, what could be more thrilling than the fight between design idea Ver19.pdf, FinalVer19.pdf, and AbsolutelyF*ingFinalVer19.pdf?

Maybe one intrepid design studio fighting against an evil AI machine that makes intelligent houses or websites that insidiously control humanity, and bringing down the evil chaebol client that wants to take over the world one badly-designed product at a time.

As expected of PD-nim Ahn Pan Seok's dramas, this one is thought-provoking and filled with deep-felt emotions. There is also something so warm seeping through the scenes that reaches me through the screen. I have to admit to being surprised at the confession we got from Joon-ho. I thought it would take him a little bit longer esp. given how Hye-jin's walls are difficult to climb through. Still, we saw her leaning on him and being her true self only around him. So, I won't be surprised if she had a crush on him all along.
While Gray Witch is truly scary like fellow beanies described her, remaining in her hagwon isn't a good decision either. Actually, I hope Hye-jin would think about setting up her own academy as she is competent enough to do so. Either way, I am rooting for her to choose what makes her happy.

I am literally not interested in the romance itself so I have nothing to say about it. It's the other stuff going on that has captured my attention.

Wie Ha Joon is nicknamed as a guy who never gets a girl in my book (mostly because he was playing SML). So, I am happy that he is getting the girl this time.
I am also happy that there is not a screaming hysterical character. And the dialogs are really enjoyable. Everybody is smart and trying to survive in a cut throat business. No-one is going around just to mess with the others
Si Woo is so precious. A young man who would not be pushed into an adult-made mold.

The fun of this drama lies in the smallest details. The microexpressions from the side characters, the naturalism of the workplace clutter, the fact that Hye-jin's home is almost indistinguishable from her workplace. I got an inordinate amount of joy from Hye-jin hunting for towels in the office and using the 'sniff test' to make sure they weren't too funky.

I'm loving it.
I was becoming wary of all the office politics, but I'm seeing it all come together now. I can see myself in the protagonist, in Hye Jin. I can relate to the fighting-with-authority-figures-at work dynamic. I also like that she's savvy and stands up for herself and others.

I wasn't a fan of the romance angle at first. But their interactions in that respect? Their dialogue? Them dancing around each other? It's been great. That confession (well, multiple confessions but especially the first one) was great. Kudos for asking for consent too. I too was surprised that she consented to the kiss. I thought she was going to reject him... but then again, the boundaries have been off/on with them.

Si Woo! I hope to see more of Si Woo. He's my favorite too. And I can relate to him as well. I hope he becomes a writer or whatever makes his heart sparkle. I hope the adults don't take that spark from him.

I wanted to note this, since I haven't seen anyone else mention it. My favourite scene in these two episodes was the quick conversation between Hye Jin and her friend while they reviewed the contracts. Her friend asking her how does she want to be supported was so good. It told us so much about their friendship and its health and it was all so freaking GOOD!

"The scene...wasn’t constructed for heart flutters so much as release." Yes. This. At the end of ep 2, and then ep 4, I wasn't convinced I wanted to come back to this drama world, but something kept drawing me back in, "just to give it one more try," I'd say to myself. This sentence of Dramaddictally's clarifies why. It was what I'd been seeing, but not clearly enough to put into words.

The undercurrents are strong in this one. While others haven't seen her feelings shift, I definitely noticed a few things:

1) She's clearly maintained boundaries (or at least oblivion) for a long time. She's been so single-minded in her career that I could see his feelings not even occurring to her. But his challenge, "You already knew, didn't you," indicates that she did probably know and therefore for YEARS, she did maintain boundaries. (Am I wrong in thinking that he showed up at least annually for Teacher's Day or whatever? I thought that was established in ep 1, but maybe I'm just making things up.) I mean, she had him in her phone, with a nickname no less, so I feel like ep 1 wasn't the first time their paths crossed since he graduated.

2.) Changing his name in her phone was a small way she could either indicate or even internalize a shift in how she thought about who he is to her. I've done stuff like that - consciously using a specific descriptor when I've noticed someone was different than I'd originally thought.

3.) There've been a lot of small (perhaps even tiny) arrows pointing to her own feelings toward him either shifting from one type to another or moving from the periphery in her mind to front-and-center. The texting-giggles was a little over the top, but also pretty honest, I thought, in portraying how humans really do respond to growing feelings, or growing awareness of feelings.

4.) In that same vein, her awkward response at the end of ep 6 also felt so very true to life. I mean, she clearly has little to no dating experience as an adult. She may not know *how* to respond, especially to someone being so direct in talking about their emotions. She also clearly has been comfortable with her same-same / "I know exactly what to expect" life. Some of us are like that - give me a box to climb in and I'll not only do it, I'll pull the top on over my head and thank you all the while. It's just more comfortable. Shifting out of that while your internal voice is weakly resisting is a lot of work and oh my goodness, I just realized why that confession scene resonated so strongly with me - the dialogue was different, and there was no kiss to finish it off because we were in a coffee shop, but that was exactly how my husband got me to open up to him.

Ahem. Anyway. Finding my chill again...

I'm fully on board with their relationship as it's currently progressing and I'm clearly learning a lot about myself and my own responses to this show. Just in this discussion alone, I've moved from hesitant "I *think*...

Speculation time! Listening to the lyrics of the opening theme song: "one last year till we graduate", I think the signs are pointing towards Hyejin and Junho 'graduating' from Daechi Chase and moving into the next chapter/level of their relationship and partnership as educators, based on mutual respect and affection.

Hye Jin, inspired by her first love Junho and her outstanding student Si Woo, will gradually find/rediscover her unique teaching style and establish her own academy.

If Hyejin and Junho succeed in establishing their own independent academy, I hope Siwoo goes with them - Hyejin's greatest student + Junho's 1st student!!

Cinematically, I still find some scenes a tad too underlit, but I like how it intensifies the mood of the scene. I mean, you can't even see their full faces in some key scenes, but conversely, it makes you hyperfocus on the layers of non-visual cues going on, the dialogue, the body language, the breathing in their silences, pauses and hesitation, and it just pulls you right in.

Like that scene where drunken Hye Jin pulls Junho closer to whisper her door passcode in his ear! His adorable reaction when he stiffens up and draws deep breaths to regroup before inputting her password and opening her door!

It's also a nice metaphor for Hye Jin emotionally opening up and letting him in, and awkwardly learning how to reciprocate his earnest advances.