Tissues 😪🤧😪🤧😪.

I'll really love to see this conversations play out onscreen instead of reading.

Chung-mi's reaction is the one that hits the most. I find her as the most moral formidable person who has every reason to not take our lead's side. I liked that she choose loyalty to herself in a way that didn't aversely affect our leads.

I stopped liking Director Kim after that first meeting he had with Jun-ho to make him the face of the academy, replacing Hye-jin. That ending scene was what threw me out of the story and stick to reading the recaps cause I could predict that conversation a mile away and it happened so.
Good news is: I'm back to liking him again.

Wooof, a mess. The witch and the vice director are both real pieces of work. I almost understand undercutting her, the hagwon business is cutthroat, but destroying her reputation like that is nasty nasty work. Almost everyone else at the hagwon also aren't that great. Jealousy doesn't look good on anyone. I'm glad Hye Jin had at least two defenders. Man, oh man, what angsty and tense episodes.

These two episodes were scary. Suffocating. Hurtful.

My highlight was Joon Ho feeding Hye Jin, then sending her home, and after both running back to each other.

I felt really bad watching these episodes because of how realistically fcked up everything was, and because Hye Jin is the last person to deserve any of this mess, but that little scene between her and Joon Ho made me feel better.

I don't know how they did it but episode 13 was extremely unsettling and exhausting for an episode where nothing happens. Things exploded in episode 14, but I was already crying by then. I started during episode 13 because of the stress. LMAO

I don't know if it is because of how invested I am in this show, or how sadly real this situation is, or if it has something to be with the production of itself, but these two episodes were very hard to watch.

So, last week I criticized that the aftermath of the big conflict felt way too black-and-white. Well, that applies to the whole show now. There's nothing complicated about this situation. The villains are evil, the heroes are not. There is no middle ground. Everybody that matters is on a very clear side, everything else just doesn't really matter.

What happened to the show that was filled with interesting and complicated situations, where you could actually argue about who was in the right or in the wrong, without the show picking a clear side? I thought the Gray Witch was a very interesting character, she was intimidating and kinda scary, yet it felt like the show never wanted to fully cross into villain territory with her. But now? Now she's just a villain, and that's all she is now.

It's almost funny how the show actually sort of addresses the criticism I had last week, in the scene where the parents confront Hye-jin about the change in her style of teaching. There's an interesting debate there, but the show ignores it in favor of yet another black-and-white situation, because ultimately it's just about the ridiculous Hye-jin/ Jun-ho rumor.

Don't get me wrong, there are still great moments here. Moments like Chung-mi quietly trying to support Hye-jin, and Jun-ho finally breaking down, are some of the highlights. It's not that I don't enjoy the show, I do, but everything about this just feels so significantly less interesting than what we used to have in the first half. It's like we turned a drama filled with interesting and complex situations into yet another variation of a good-vs-evil storyline that we've seen 100 times before, and I honestly think that's a shame.

Alright...whew...
Episode 13 was pretty forgettable to me. Again, all the plotting and scheming and career ladder shenanigans... not fun to watch.
The coworkers are exhausting. The parents are exhausting. I feel for the kids.

Episode 14 was better.
I would like to see more of Mr. Pyo. I can relate to managers/directors stopping you from implementing change at work, and I would like to see more of that. The way the boss lady just cut him off and said, "Nope, you can't do that here." Though I'm guessing he's going to jump ship and the "good guys" team will start another academy.
I'm glad we got to see some classes being taught though. I'd also like a resolution to Si Woo's story. Please don't make him go to medical school!

Even with all the nastiness going on, I am glad that one coworker lady said "That's how people are" when talking about how ugly people are. Indeed, that is how people are.
SHOUT OUT TO COWORKER LADY AND MS. NAM!! It was so refreshing to hear "You people are trash" and I just about cried when Ms. Nam said she values her character above all. Same here. Selling your soul seems like a rotten endeavor.
I was confused with Crush Guy's response... but then again, we never really got to know him. I was also confused with Jun Ho's friend's response... but then again, we never really got to know him either. Or the extent of their friendship. If I was Ms. Nam, I would've been turned off by him encouraging me to join the pack of hyenas.
I was also a bit disappointed when the girls didn't go out to eat after Chang Mi gave Hye Jin her support. That would've been a great opportunity for the show to show and consolidate that circle of support and show that blossoming friendship perhaps. Instead, Chang Mi tells Hye Jin to go with Jun-Ho. And then she herself goes off with her romantic interest. Argh.

Hye Jin and Jun Ho crying did have my eyes watering. They're going to need a circle of support, and I'm sure they'll pull through.

I loved both episodes so much. It was hard but it had some shining moments of loyalty and love and tenderness too. I loved that there was no obnoxious break up for no reason, that there were some allies, both expected and surprising, and that it was all done in such a convincing way, both the love, the sadness, and the mean, awful, pettiness. There was some excellent acting from both leads.

I loved that Hye Jin told Jun Ho to love her and stay by her and that he was trying his best to do that, instead of some kind of self-sacrificing breakup happening that wouldn't solve anything. I loved Hye Jin feeling free to break down in front of Chung Mi when she was trying so hard to keep her composure everywhere else, love their friendship. The scenes with her and the moms was hard, and it was awful how rumors just took a life of their own because some people just want to be nasty. I'm glad she has some people on her side.

I also felt so bad for Jun Ho. I don't think any of this was his fault, but he had been kind of blindly and optimistically (and a little bit naively) charging forward and life just threw the worst kind of curveball at him and his happiness, and it all just suddenly came crumbling down. Director Kim assuming that he was just blase about it all and then getting so incredibly flustered when Jun Ho broke down in tears in front of him was a little bit funny, even though the scene itself was genuinely sad and moving. I hope Hye Jin seeing him in tears doesn't make her feel more guilty, and instead drives home that he's as committed to them as she is and that they need to hold each other close to get through it.

I loved that Chung Mi was, as expected, a loyal friend and colleague to Hye Jin, but I also loved the english teacher became a surprising ally and called Ji Suk trash for his behavior. It was both disappointing but also very realistic that a man would show support for a woman because he harbored feelings for her, but then turn on her as soon as she made it clear she wasn't into him. It's unfortunate that the actor has such a nice face because he started looking so unattractive as his character got more awful XD

Chung Mi and Seung Kyu were both good friends and also adorable together. Chung Mi is on the same level as Hye Jin and Jun Ho as my favorites in the show, I love every scene of hers, whether she's taking down nasty colleagues, being nonchalant about her relationship decision, or deciding her moral stance. I also loved that she's baffled by Jun Ho and clearly supports Hye Jin and finds their relationship inspiring and sweet, but also does not seem to want a man like him at all, lmao.

I hope the writing does justice to the rest of the show and gives a reasonable sendoff. Things can't go back to what they were exactly, but that doesn't mean it can't be salvaged with some decency. There were also some small but genuinely funny moments, like them being shocked that Dir Kim knew they were together, I hope...

"Ji-suk doesn’t care about that part because his ego is too bruised."

This guy pissed me off. He kept talking about cowardly things and he is one big coward. He was afraid to express his feelings until it was too late and then got mad because she didn't pick up on him liking her when he never expressed any damn feelings.

Did you see me lurking around you? WTF does that even mean? He didn't have to make a marriage proposal but at least ask out loud for a date. Jeez. She dodged a bullet not being with this complete idiot.

So, the assistant director's minion isn't even qualified to teach and faked his credentials.

Oh, this one hurt. Something similar happened to me, not in cause, but in effect (untrue rumors spread, trusted friends were no longer trustworthy or kind)...it was rough. I spent most of ep 14 just in tears for Hyejin and Junho. What happened to them was predictable (of course that's what people would believe, true or not), but so unfair.

What happened last week in eps 11-12 actually laid the foundation for how HJ reacted to all this, this week. Her hard-fought internal battle, eventually deciding to buck the teach-to-the-test system, prepared her to stand strong in the face of the world tearing her apart (even when it hurt - the moment she completely broke in the conference room gutted me). If she hadn't gone through that in the way she went through it (and I think the road to her decision was so important!), I don't know that she would've decided, this week, not to dodge or hide or lie to keep her job and her position/status within the academy.

And then JH's breakdown with Director Kim at the very end... I'm a sympathy crier - I rarely cry for myself, but if I see someone else crying, especially men for some reason, I'm a mess. And so his break gutted me, too. It was honest and fitting that that's how he responded to the realization that his impulsiveness carried a cost that he hadn't been able, or wasn't willing, to foresee.

Seriously, PDnim has a knack for characters that are just so hateful. I'm so glad I stuck it out with this show, waiting for the layers to peel away.

I cried when Hye Jin cried.
I cried when Jun Ho cried.

I was annoyed watching their awful coworkers. I've seen the actor playing Myung Joon in other crappy roles so yeah, need a break from seeing his face. I'm especially pissed off at Ji Seok. He is worse than jerks who consistently show their cruel and bitter ways. I'd rather know their true selves upfront so I can keep my distance. I hope he doesn't get any forgiveness from Hye Jin.

I really fell for Chung Mi this week. Her savage comeback at Chae Yoon's petty insult was excellent on multiple points.

The confession scene in the karaoke room was charming and sweet. Definitely a bright moment during these tense episodes. Appreciated Chung Mi's line about preferring substance over style.

With two episodes left, I'm wondering how things will be resolved. Almost seems like there's not enough time.

I think I'm going to wait until all the episodes are out before watching the last 13-16- Just managed to sit through 5 mins of 13 before the tension got the better of me. I'm actually glad for these recaps/ spoilers, because now, I'm prepared beforehand for all the angst!
The Grey Witch's expression when she revealed that she knew about Jun Ho, and the AD's sneering- I would have been arrested for going John Wick on those two had I been there. I had defended GW earlier on, hoping that she was actually on Hye Jin's side and disliked the Asst Dir, but after seeing her behaviour in the little bit I watched, both women are just plain nasty.
Seems like the rest of the folks around Hye Jin, bar a few, are as bad, but I hope the good people win over all the nasty, salacious, scandal-mongering folk that largely populate this show.

All of that because 2 adults are dating... It's crazy how people have the capacity to make simple things very complicated because of their own interest, the jealousy being the mainly reason :
- Yoon Ji-Suk and Kim Chae-Yoon were interested in our leads and can't accept to be rejected
- Lee Myung-Joon never had Hye-Jin's success and will get her work.

The issue was this problem was mixed with their new project to teach in a different way and it's sad because again, it will be the students will suffer from it. The parents can't see far, they pay to get results now.

I was sad because of the Director but in the same time, the reputation is very important for a Hagwon and everybody could be affected by it. But he always chose the easy solution and never fight for his employees. He could have talked to the other colleagues...

The couples are cute! A little bit of happiness in this messiness.

I am very disappointed in Director Choi's behaviour this week, her actions are beneath her and extremely undignified. Yes do your best to get the upper-hand over Daechi Chase but to expose Hye-Jin's personal life is truly reprehensible knowing full well the very real ramifications of what this will do to a young woman's life. I hate seeing women being horrible to other women and that's not to say men doing this is a lesser evil but this is on a whole other level, it is not just business being business.

Fascinating to read all the Beanie comments here! So many good dissections of what's going on.

I had a slightly different reaction to these episodes. I love the hagwon related issues, whether it be discussions on education, or why hagwons have to be so cut-throat, or how various players use and abuse other people and their own positions to get to their ends. It's often brutal but it engages my brain and heart and makes me ponder.

This week, I simply struggled with Hyejin and Junho. All of what they did made total sense if I was completely convinced that they were deeply in love. But, I just haven't got there yet. I remember Beanies commenting on not feeling the love between the leads back at the beginning of the drama, and I'm still not convinced. For me, this isn't a criticism of the actors - they're doing a stellar job - but I haven't had enough time/dialogue with them both to convince me they would go to the darkest valley for each other. I can see that we've had enough time chronologically for that depth of feeling to occur - but I'm feeling the time on screen devoted to it has been rather thin. After the arguments of ep11-12, I just needed more time devoted to how they sat down, really discussed their positions, understood each other so much better, found delight in each other's intelligent thinking, made decisions about how they would go forward from there, and in all that became more in deep love with each other. Alas, time.

An interesting article on Hagwons:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/reginakim/2024/06/23/the-midnight-romance-in-hagwon-what-to-know-about-the-unique-kdrama/

Some surprises (to me):
- top instructors (known as “star lecturers”) are known to make between $10 million and $22 million a year.
- There are over 24,000 hagwons in Seoul alone—that’s triple the number of convenience stores in the city.
- About 78% of Korean students attend at least one hagwon, with many attending four or more.
- The average monthly spending for each student increased by 5.8% from the previous year to $312, even though the total number of students in Korea shrank by 1.3% over the same period.

Dramaddictally, thanks for the recap !

The director never fails to disappoint !
Why is the Associate Director allowed to operate like a gang boss ? Can’t she be fired ?
Any workmates that are anti-OTP are hopeless losers.

Barring any last minute fatal diseases, I see a Happy Ever After 💐🌟 ending for our OTP.

Hi, you all write so many thoughtful things I sincerely appreciate the write-ups and the beanies thoughts. I am not even finished with episode 14 and had to stop and write this. . I am SO mad and Ji-seok and his big bruised ego. What a baby!
I have much less of a problem with Cheong-mi and her loyalty over ambition dilemma (and I also think she and Sung-gyu are adorable ). I, personally find the romance between Hye-Jin and Jun-ho believable. sadly, i also see the envy and greed of others and the rush to judgement on the part of their alleged “friends”/colleagues as well as the parents unfortunate, sad and realistic. People often chose to believe the worst of others if they themselves are insecure. Justifying that bad behavior with “we are just looking out for the children “ is just that -justification.
I am a sucker for a happy ending and I have a very clear idea of how i would like this to all end, I suppose I will find out soon.

I can't think of another drama where so often the director seemed to instruct the actors 'Sit here and think this' and miraculously it works. We know what they're thinking. We watch them collecting their thoughts. Their dialog seems to come out naturally instead of being recited. And its not just the main leads, everyone down the the most minor character has been given their own interior life,

WOW! What am I watching?!? I have all the feels!! These two episodes were so intense and painful and stressful and absolutely wonderful. Obviously I cried, twice!! Everyone is doing such an amazing job here. And even the OST worked perfectly in these two eps... maybe it is finally growing on me.
I love when a drama manages to make me love characters that at first I disliked and vice versa! This is a sign of a great script for me. And it's incredible that with these final episodes they managed to build this incredible tension... a thing that most dramas fail to do. Looking forward to watch the last two eps. This is truly a jem! One of the best dramas of this year surely!