I love this show to bits. I am so mesmerized by how the story moves and how well it’s directed. So much is said in the silences. The frames speak for themselves. It’s a surreal feeling watching this show and I don’t have words to express it all.

I love these two actors. At this point they are not acting. It feels like I am watching real life. It’s so lived in. The scene between Hye Jin and her friend was a masterpiece. In that moment we see a side of Hye Jin we weren’t privy to before. I am glad she took her time to process her feeling and come to a conclusion. There was so much she had brushed aside in life, so it was nice to see her untangle all her emotions.

‘How can you not like him??’ WORD!!! I have been grinning like an idiot and swooning so deep just looking at him and seeing him lay his heart out for her. And the way he casually told her he is moving in above the convenience store. The man had a plan!!! And he is executing it so perfectly.

I also liked the tiff between the director and Hye Jin. I am so glad he called him out. I cringed when he brought up the ‘paid tuition for your brother’. It was such an underhanded statement and I am so glad he called him out and told him she wasn’t his charity case.

I feel like the show had set up many possibilities. The assistant director seems adamant on her stand, the other lady wants to start her own company, the gray wizard lady is not going to take this loss well etc. knowing this PD’d work I expect some ugly scandal to show its face. But I do hope the leads communicate and stand by each other through whatever that comes at them.

Also, I love the new student. He is the sweetest!!! I hope he finds his passion and gets his happy ending. And I love his relationship with Jun Ho. He is so chill with the student.

From the hesitant first kiss to the morning kiss, the show is delivering!!!!

The real charmer is in this drama is Shi-Woo! He's such a good and smart boy! I'm happy she realized they lured him in their school and she will abandon him after...

I like how the relationship feels so real. Hye-jin's reactions are so natural, she has doubts but she already knows she doesn't want her old life anymore, she wants more and Jun-Ho seems to be the one who already gave support in the past. I really like her relationship with her friend.

I wish to see Jun-Ho teaching. Because everybody said he should work to be prepared, the guy works on his lesson, move from his parents house, date, so he wish to see the result of his work too!

Chung-mi is a nice colleague. I like she can fight for her, she's professional, she doesn't mix personnal feelings (not like the one who flirts with Jun-Ho).

Omg, our OTP is so cute. I will say because of the way WHJ kisses JRW never knows where to put her hand. It is actually kind of funny. Idk if it is on purpose or not, but her hand always flailing is a source of amusement to me. For Jun Ho Hye Jin is a wish fulfillment come to fruition. So I will just enjoy the ride and worry about the angst when it comes.

I can't say enough about the scene with Hye-jin and her friend.

Simply outstanding.

I loved both episodes so much. The romance was romancing so hard but in such a real feeling way, and while Hye Jin and Jun Ho are obviously my favorites, right up there is Chung Mi too.

I love how pragmatic Chung Mi is, i love how happy the gift of the tablet made her and how grateful she is to Hye Jin for it and how matter of fact her friendship with Jun Ho is. She clearly doesn't seem to be super impressed with him lol but in a very long suffering friends way, and refuses to allow drama and back biting to happen between her and Hye Jin despite workplace forces trying to make it happen.

The conversation between Hye Jin and her friend was so touching, not only to get a solid feeling of Hye Jin and her feelings but also just as character moments to establish them as comfortable long time friends. The drunk bits were hilarious, and the morning after was so good.

One thing i really loved about the romantic bits is that while Hye Jin is a little awkward because she's spent so long focusing on everything but that part of her, she's not some wilting violet when it comes to kissing and the idea of sex, the way kdramas sometimes write otherwise capable adult women as soon as they're faced with a man. It's frustrating when it feels like the physical romance parts are all initiated by the man and the woman just eventually gives in or has to be a shy recipient, instead of being an enthusiastic equal in expressing physical feelings. I loved her giggling about making up the excuse for milk and then inviting him upstairs.

I'm sure there will be darker times coming when more people find out but i hope they don't get too dark, I've been enjoying the show and it's realistic feeling pace so far.

I love this show so much!

I love the change and development Hye-jin went through in these two episodes, both because of Jun-jo and Shi-woo. And by the end of it, she genuinely looked way happier.

I also like Chung-mi. She could be a great ally for Hye-jin and Jun-ho, which she already was this week when she realized that Jun-ho notifying people that Hye-jin was "sick" was probably not the smartest move. I also like how she sees opportunities, but not in a backstabbing way, like her taking over Hye-jin's class while Jun-ho gets to go to her was genuinely a win-win for both of them.

The show is so slow and deliberate but not everyone likes that. The show is polarising on mdl where many find the it boring. Like guys it gives it a bit of realism but each their own. JRW is so pretty. What the hell was going on in that scene with the Grey haired witch and the assistant why was he so pleased at getting the kid to sign on the paper lol.

I enjoyed these episodes as much as everyone so I don’t have much to add. I loved reading all your comments. Only, I did feel Jun-ho was a little pushy at times but then the push for romance had to come from him or it would be too uncomfortable given she’s his senior. And I suppose making her less experienced in dating (vs her teaching expertise) sort of evened the field. And her taking the initiative to spend more time with him in the end helped balance it all out. They’re in this together.

I’m just a little stressed beanies. I kept thinking they’re going to get caught. I definitely have angst trauma thanks this PD. 😂

BTW Is it the norm to get an IV after a hangover in SK.

I'm starting to love the writing and directing on this show. It "gets" women: whether it's a work or love rivalry, or a friendship, or our desire- it's so realistic and layered.

The director really knows the feminine mind. I noticed it in One Spring Night as well- both FL and ML were surrounded by wonderfully written, strong, women, whether it was her sister and friends, or his pharmacy colleagues. It was so completely true to life and showed women uplifting women- we don't always bitch or backbite the way shows would like people to believe!!

The scene between Hye Jin and her friend, I felt I was with my BFFs- how we get drunk when we do all meet, and slowly the conversation turns personal, maybe nsfw even, after a couple of drinks haha, and we know that no matter what, we all have each other's back 🥹

Of course, the chemistry between the leads is off the charts phew- can literally feel that heady rush of a new relationship. It's adult and giddy at the same time. Both Wi Ha Joon and Jung Ryeo Won are acing it.

I'm bracing for the angst and politics to follow, but I hope the main characters stay on track for each other through all of it.

There were so many great scenes this week: Hye-jin and the Director at lunch when he brought up her brother and she responded with controlled yet extremely effective disdain; Junho confessing back at the office and Hye-Jin going from holding back to giving in to pushing him away in the span of one kiss; and Si-woo asking the Grey Witch's assistant for a receipt and the assistant's petty power play in response. The writing here is top-notch, but it's the lived-in feel of the directing that gets me.

It's a small thing, but I like the way that things that look like actor mistakes are not edited out--for example, in the scene where Junho is about to tell his parents he's moving, he briefly drops and picks up a towel or something. The actual action of dropping and picking up the object has no real purpose and again, could just have been a mistake, but because it stays in the scene, it lends even further realism to the show.

It also occurred to me that in all of the PD's shows that I've seen, the FL is the one who tends to be the more uncertain or conflicted one, and as such, the dynamic becomes about her making the decision about whether or not to go forward. I don't necessarily like using the term "power" here, but in some ways, in the early stages, the woman seems to be the one with the power to determine the couple's future with the ML having to react to her choices and actions rather than the other way around. This dynamic then gradually evens out as time goes on. In "Secret Love Affair," the FL is the one who is married, and even though her much younger ML is All In from Day One, she needs time to decide that this relationship is what she wants, and that she's ready to get out of her marriage and life as she knows it. In "One Spring Night," the ML is again All In from Day One, but the FL needs to be persuaded to start another relationship so soon after getting out of her previous one, and also to take on all the intense societal judgement that will come from dating a single father.

Here, it's clear that Junho has been in love with Hye-Jin from almost his first moments with her, and thus he's also All In from Day One, and sees no real obstacles to their pairing. Hye-Jin, in contrast, is much more trepidatious and clearly dictating the terms of their relationship, including whether or not it can even start.

There's something about this dynamic that I obviously love or I wouldn't be such a fan of all these dramas. But in this set of episodes I was starting to feel bad for Junho being so open and vulnerable only to be dismissed or ignored by Hye-Jin, even though it's obvious to him and us that she does have feelings for him, too. Yet I shouldn't have doubted the writing here because everything came together in ep. 8 and allowed us to understand Hye-Jin and her hesitation more completely.

This is such a good show!

The realistic scenes and the romance are soooo good. I love the real and vulnerable friendship scene. I liked that Hye Jin's friend could tell something was up and knew the questions to ask. They truly looked like close friends. I liked that they were talking about adult things too.

I was initially worried about Chung Mi. How ambitious or thirsty she would be for success. I'm glad she's shrewd and grabs opportunities, but hasn't been underhanded or manipulative. I wonder if things will change, but for now, she's been fine.

I love that Shi Woo is always questioning things instead of meekly accepting information or instructions like from Ki Sung. He was smart in getting the receipt (AND the signature lol!). Made me smile. Then Ki Sung was so petty.

The romance in the new, blissful stage is lovely. I like the giddy kisses plus hugs! It all looks natural and sweet.

junho is my least favorite character in the drama and I really dont like how he was a bit pushy and obtuse not trying to hide his feelings and relationship when hyejin has said again and again they can't be seen together (I think we all expect his friend to tell the news to his mom eventually and then the whole academy will know). also, I particularly dislike the "I lost my patience" type of line in any romantic context so that was just a cherry on the cake of my annoyance with him lol my main problem is that I just don't see why this guy, who never taught a single class, got a competitive position at a top academy. sometimes the drama acts as if he's a smart kid who didnt like to study and sometimes they act as if he's kind of mediocre but his hard work, together with HJ, took him to a top college. he doesn't have a personality at all. and, it pains me to say this, I think WHJ is a bit miscast. someone said in a previous post that he fits more suave, enigmatic characters, and I agree. I think junho should be a more boyish actor? like a jung haein for example.

Despite Junho, I like the rest of the drama.
I don't like the idea that HJ already felt things for junho when they were younger so I will take everything she said about him while drunk as him just being an important person who was there for her during a hard time. that's it.

Couldn’t agree more with what everyone’s already said, so just a few comments:

I loved learning that a more accurate screen name for Jun-ho on Hye-jin’s phone would have been “My pride and joy.” The reveal that he had as much impact on her life as she did on his does a lot to elevate their past history beyond trite teacher-student crush. How many times have I watched the way her expression slowly changes as she sees his text? 😳

Chung-mi has experienced school and office politics before arriving at this hagwon. As such, I appreciate that she’s not one to dive into gossip and backstabbing, but has taken time to get the measure of her coworkers and treat them accordingly. I don’t think she’ll be easily manipulated by the directors, either.

The smiles that Hye-jin and Jun-ho give each other are different from the ones they show to the rest of the world. How could they not fall in love?

I know the angst is coming, but I hope our leads choose to face it together.

Hmm. I was less enthused with these episodes.

Mind you, with dramas in general, I tend to love the slow burn, the build up, THE confession scene, but I lose interest once the protagonists start dating. Why? I'm not sure, but I will say that I don't like when there's no character development, no community in people's lives (apart from 1-2 placeholder friends who have little screen time). It's just... romance. Now I want to see more of the other stuff! I want to see Si Woo, Hye Jin's passion for teaching, a critique of these systems...

I sort of have an idea of who Hye Jin is, her personality, her character, her values. I love that she loves herself. But I have no idea who Jun Ho is. None. He's just... charming. And he likes money. Ok. Why would I be invested in their romance if I don't know who they are? The story is cute, yes. But I don't know these people. And I wish they had community (rather than being so centered on one person). I did think the scene with the friend was nice though.

I do like that they finally gave Hye Jin's point of view. I wanted to know her feelings and where she stands. Finally, I see her side of the story.
I do think Jun Ho is pushy too. Meh.

I'm still interested in where the story goes.

The show seems to be trying to make the vice president a villain, just for the sake of giving us someone to dislike. Because even when the Grey Queen loses her sh*t we sympathize with her. (At least I do because I LOVE HER.) So this vice president, who seemed like a throw-away side character we know nothing about or care about, suddenly starts disliking Hyejin? For what.

Ep 8 particularly where FL opens up to her friend reminds me why I like JRW' acting.

The song at the end of ep 7 when she meets her friend at the cafe is Hollywood, by The Black Skirts- in case anyone else liked it too :)

Is the Gray Witch an actual witch and her secretary some form of a daywalker like vampires have? I am sure there will be a scene where she is shown stirring students' blood with a big paddle in a cauldron.

Nice.
I just hope the passcode giving to him is not a kind of cliche.
😀

This is my fave right now. The scenes and characters feel so raw and realistic, and the acting is so real, the chemistry amazing. I liked the way the romance was built (they are so freaking cute) and I so undersand Hye Jin; when she cried I felt it. Now, I am unbelievably concerned about them being find out and somehow I can't trust Min Ji: friend or foe? Can't wait for the weekend!