Queen of Tears PTSD has wrecked me for unexpected melo "twists" in seemingly normal/rom-com dramas. This show could have been all fluff with some will-they-won't-they spice and I would be content. Now I'm worried that the bid to be dramatic and serious will wreck the chemistry of the leads and potential of the story.

I am out. The characters are so inconsistent, there is no respite from anyone. I hate them all. Why is no one acting like an adult???
It ended up being a hate watch for me. And that’s not how I want to watch my dramas. I would rather rewatch shows that make me happy.

Thanks for the recap, @missvictrix

Side Character Syndrome

Forget SLS (second lead syndrome) I have SCS - side character syndrome! Oh Eun Seo (the child actress who plays Seok-Ryu as a kid) is so compelling. She has such SPUNK, I could watch and re-watch her without getting bored.

I think the problem with this drama at the moment is that Mo-eum is a much more compelling character than our leads….. HAHAHA! What is not to love about her? She’s capable, no hang ups, clever, a bit mischievous, but has a heart of gold! I love that she won over Dan-Ho’s daughter so quickly. Let’s get to some good daughter-sets-up-dad-with-superwoman-paramedics!

Ugly male rival for male lead wanted - not
I’m sorry, but is Jung Hae In so unattractive that they feared finding a non-ugly actor to play Seok-Ryu’s ex would be a real threat to the romantic narrative?? Like, WHO in their right mind would return to an ex-fiancé played by Han Joon Woo when you have Jung Hae In right next door?!

Sometimes I feel like the cheating is just another form of the Truck of Doom.

That aside, I agree with @missvictrix that introducing the ex-fiancé was some jarring introduction, and the reaction of the parents (being all angry at him) didn’t make sense. But, I actually liked the last scenes where Seiko-Ryu reached out to Hyun-joon for help when her stomach was giving her problems. Given her medical history, it sounds like he was there for her in the U.S. when she had no one.

I think this would be a great “threat” to Seung-Hyo’s childhood love advantage - because he wasn’t / couldn’t be there for her when she was in the U.S., but Hyun-joon was. It doesn’t make him a hero or excuse his cheating - but it makes sense that she may be more emotionally attached to him even if she isn’t in love with him - because they have history too, and history where she depended on him. I like this as the foil to Seung-Hyo’s “Toy Story” memory - because both are forces to be reckoned with. Seung-Hyo knows so many intimate details about Seok-Ryu by virtue of growing up together, but Hyun-Joon knows her as an adult, and an independent adult fighting the world for her place in it. I find this sort of contest between two different men much more compelling.

Also, the expiry date for milk - HAHAHAHA!

When you’re your own worst enemy
Also, I kind of felt sorry for Seung-Hyo’s mom. She’s not my favorite character by any means, but I found it sad that she didn’t know how loved she is, that she is complicit in her own loneliness, and she’s certainly guilty of the brokenness in her marriage. I’m looking forward to seeing how they resolve this because it sure sounds like they discussed divorce and Seung-Hyo’s dad is up for it. It’s just such a pity that he has his own communication issues, and that is also in part to blame for the breakdown of the marriage.

My husband’s habitual critique of kdramas is that he thinks they are always trying to do one too many things. Sometimes I totally disagree with him (Like Flowers in Sand) and sometimes, like now, I get what he means. I knew we would have to meet the ex-fiance eventually, but I was really hoping he would show up for two episodes, we could kick him to the curb, and Seok-ryu would realize how much she had checked out of that relationship even before it was entirely over. Path cleared, closure attained, moving on. So I’m disappointed that he’s still around, and possibly making headway. It also makes me nervous for a romance developing between our leads, because it doesn’t usually seem healthy to me to jump out of one long-term relationship and into another, and I want to find this believable.

Still, I am enjoying lots about this show, it just seems like it has plenty going on without ex-fiance overstaying his welcome. For example, I really like the conflict with how Seok-ryu and Dong-jin were raised. She never felt like she could mess up and thinks it’s unfair that he gets to fail constantly. He feels like it’s unfair that he was always compared to her (and probably quit things as soon as they were hard so that he wouldn’t fail at them). I like that Seok-ryu and Seung-hyo are jealous of each others’ families because she doesn’t realize how cold and lifeless his house is and he doesn’t realize how complicated money can make things and how difficult it is to have a sibling sometimes. I like the parallel stories of Seung-hyo trying to make his passion profitable, and Seok-ryu trying to figure out her dream and act on it. I like the little hints that we’ve gotten that Seok-ryu’s dad actually should not be running a snack shop (he has so much other experience and his standards are too high). And I *loved* the scene where our leads are in the convenience store trying to find a reasonable “expiration date” for Seung-hyo’s confession!

And I have no complaints about our second couple this week! I’m so glad that Mo-eum got off her high horse and is acting like a better version of her character again. I love that she already discovered who her “ideal man” is and the whole interaction between them in the car was adorable. Also enjoying how flustered Dan-ho gets whenever anyone brings up Mudflat Man and interested to see where his new story idea takes him. It’s been forever since Yoon Ji-on got to play a fun, sweet, interesting character (who is also not a murderer) and I’m so here for it!

I actually enjoyed these episodes much better than last weeks. However, the writer is officially doing TOO much. Cancer too, goodness. However, we were warned in episode 7 that this would be a slow burn and take time. So I will let it be.

"And damn that Hyun-joon, he eats Seok-ryu’s japchae when Seung-hyo never got to eat the dish she made for him the other day..."

In Hyun-joon's defense -- and I hate that I have to defend him -- Seung-hyo was the one who refused to eat Seok-ryu's dish because his unconfessed feelings were eating him up inside. 😋

You've worked hard, missvictrix. Thank you and sorry.

I don't like Seung Hyo one bit.
I wouldn't want that guy as my son, because unless you hate your mom (which is valid but not the impression I got here), why would you make zero effort to spend even one minute of the day with her?
If you can run to give such a lame confession to your "friend", you can run to say happy birthday to your mom.
And a text, not even a phone call? And the empty card... Let's say she deserves it (I wouldn't really know because the drama only shows his parents eating alone at home and doing literally nothing else). So he isn't a bad son, she's the problem.

But I don't want him to be my business partner either. This guy keeps putting his useless personal feelings in the middle of everything. I feel bad for his partner. They're going to end up broke by the end of the show.

If you're going to let SK use your water, electricity, and a bunch of other stuff that cost money, at least let her fiance pay for it, dumb dumb. Like, why would you say no to this project? Because the fiance could have hidden intentions? OK. Let's say that.

But I no matter what, I don't want this guy pretending to be my friend for my entire lifetime just to later think he has the right to mess with my life and feelings.

I HATE the way he talked to the fiance as if Seok Ryu wasn't there. I hateeeee the way he knew nothing about that man and he treated him like trash only because he likes Seok Ryu.
And I hate that he thinks he can tell Seok Ryu to not meet him or do wtv she wants.

And all the "I'll give you time" bs just to go and give that lame confession and later give her a deadline to respond. Like, my girl is trying to figure out her life? Hello? Do you even care?

The contrast of the ex-fiance asking Seok Ryu to let him taste her food, asking her what are her plans, if he can help her, and then telling her that he will give her constructive criticism... Wow! And then there's Seung Hyo, the annoying son of her mom's friend who only cared about making her feel bad for meeting her ex-boyfriend and spent the whole time competing with him... No excuse for this BS.

And he's only 1 of the million problems I have with this show, so sayonara.

Honestly I'm more interested in the second leads and their romance. They started off weird, but they're so cute now. I love how she's nice to his kid and he's so respectful of her. Gotta love a found family in the making.

I understand why people are fed up with this show. The writing seems disjointed, the rom is frustrating, the com has left the buliding for cancer, and the characters are flawed. However, this show is working for me because it is exploring something different, interesting and real. (FYI: I liked The Interest of Love so let that inform you about my varying kdrama tastes.) This show is not working on a swoony romance level; missing are the butterflies and thrill of getting to know someone new. There is no courtship or trying to impress because they know each other, warts and all. (In fact, they each show more of themselves including the less “attractive” sides to each other that they didn’t show to their exes.) Instead, it is exploring the real relationship between two people who have known each other for a long time. Seok Ryu and Seung Hyo have been friends, even best friends without ever expressly saying so, since childhood so they have a well established pattern of interaction based on knowledge, experience, and trust. They fight and bicker with each other often, but they also know how to move on because there is an inherent understanding that each has the best interest of the other at heart. They have seen the other get into crushes and relationships with other people, achieve success, setbacks, and resets in new directions, and know each other’s familiy and the background of their upbringing. While Seung Hyo may not be a “green flag” or a “loser in love” like the recently crowned MLs in Lovely Runner or Perfect Marriage Revenge, he has always been attentiive to Seok Ryo’s needs and supportive in important, even if not flashy ways, like offering his kitchen to practice, decorating her bedroom to be homey, and encouraing her to take a moment to find her dream instead of working to help his company just because she is good at it. Similarly. Seok Ryu is supportive of Seung Hyo in ways that only someone who really knows him can be. She encourages and roots for him to do the rehab of the high school swimming pool even though it’s not as flashy or prestigious as other projects because she knows it has great meaning to him. Her first cooking project was made with him in mind because it brought back such a cherished memory.

Watching their relationship doesn’t provide vacarious swoons or giggles. What it does provide and is the reason the show still works for me is a view of how two people navigate the evolution of a long term relationship and the risk of advancing to a new level. It is possible to get a new boyfriend/girlfriend if the relationship blows up—it is not possible to get a new lifelong friend. In some ways, we are watching what happens after the OTP get together in most romances and the show ends. It’s the relationship and often its less “romantic” moments after the courtship phase. These moments often reveal patterns that are reflections and reactions to relationships they have seen, mostly often their parents. Here, there is...

There are so much things happening!

SR and SH: I liked how they pushed the confession, bad timing, she wasn't ready but finally, it was great! I liked they continue the scene too. Usually, they would skip to the next scene or it will be the end of the episode. But we got all the awkwardness after two people knowing each other since they're kids making the first to change theire relationship. They're so unique with their banter, choosing milk expiration date to get an answer.

The exes : For once, I'm happy that the woman is the nice one and not the bitter, mean, etc ex-girlfriend. They gave us such a great woman! I wish she finds love too! For the man... I don't like how he got back so confidently. I don't like how her past sickness gives him power. He should be ashamed because clearly, he didn't give her the care she needed.

SR's family : The mother is a weather vane. She changed her mind so fast not in a good way... SR's anger was justified but I wonder how the fact she was very sucessful burden her brother too. He's very immature and his parents let him be. But maybe he gave up a little bit because he wasn't as good as her too. I understood her father's anger because it came from his own experience but he never talked about it, so he could help her instead to stop her.

SH's family : SH's face when SR was saying she wanted his family because he didn't have any siblings made me feel there is something behind it. There is some love but nobody is brave enough to talk. It's so sad.

For the sickness part, I think it will be more about how she kept it secret from her family and friends, trying to do things alone (again) than about the fact she's still sick.

I think I prefer the exes coming in the story when the couple is still not formed than after.

I know on DB we often complain that a writer seems to be making things up as they go along, but this show is utterly random and haphazard at this point. So much so that I absolutely believe the writer was still drafting after shooting began. “Home-cha” may have not been the best drama ever, but it was way better and more cohesive than this, so I know the writer can do better. Here, it seems like they had an outline, then a cast, and suddenly realized there’s no real story. So everyone’s frantically scrambling to throw a bunch of stuff at the audience to see if anything sticks.

This drama has become a makjang-y, tropey mess, and I could point to several examples that suggest the writer is/was making it up as they went along, but the one that stands out to me is this: when Seok-ryu’s mother starts talking about the brother’s hole in his heart. If I somehow missed an earlier mention of this I apologize, but this seemed to be the first time we heard about his former medical condition, and it clearly only existed to set up Seok-ryu’s line about illness and the ultimate reveal that she’s the real sick one.

I can see that the actors are doing their best to muddle through and find some way to connect with their characters and the audience, but because the plot is so haphazard and meandering, the characterization is completely inconsistent. Take, for example, the awful scenes where Soek-ryu’s parents attack her for her perfectly reasonable and happy plan to become a cook. They’d already lost credibility points with me for their bizarrely vacillating reactions to the ex-fiance’s return (Hate him! Love him! Blame him! Love him again!), but their incomprehensible nastiness over her career plans was both bewildering and painful to watch. I guess mom’s reaction was sortof in keeping with her earlier overbearing and self-centered reaction to finding out Seok-ryu had left Greip, but Dad’s criticisms were not only over-the-top but extremely confusing coming from a character who has been passive and genial up to this point; he has also never seemed miserable at his job to me. Certainly not enough to warrant that kind of immediate and intense display of complete disregard for his (adult!) daughter’s desires and feelings.

And what about Seung-hyo’s parents? All we’ve seen from them is estrangement, but suddenly, Dad’s running around town trying desperately to find his wife’s favorite flowers? But of course, it quickly became clear that these scenes only existed to set up him coming upon his wife interacting with a man she may or may not had an affair with. Again, clunky, plot-driven, and seemingly invented on-the-fly to build drama.

I can’t even talk about the weird romance. Why should I believe these two people belong together? They have a halfway decent friendship at best. There’s no unconditional love, support, understanding, or chemistry between them whatsoever. This kills me because I saw promise in the first two episodes, but the spark fizzled...

In two episodes, it went from a middle school awkward dating confession to slam-on-the-breaks medical secret that upends everything. It went in an instant from a rom-com to a non-com. Quite the jolt. This week’s lesson: secrets, whether unrequited love, health issues, affairs or guilt, can be a literal gut punch.

Hyeon-Jun and Seok-Ryu’s relationship was a lot deeper and emotional than we were led to believe. When she chose him over Seung-Hyo to go to the hospital we thought that was his answer to his burning kiln question . . . but it was re-living what they had experienced together in in the US.

The set up was clear: her younger brother had an infant heart condition (since healed) but his mother felt so guilty that she babies him to this day while Seok-Ryu is angry about the different treatment (even though she kept her cancer a deep secret). Her father was against her from following her dream because he is well aware of the grueling hardship of being a cook. But again, he does not know that her dream may be a short-lived attempt at personal happiness and peace of mind.

The ending took the wind out of the sails of the second leads more realistic and optimistic romantic road. Tae-Hui is the only breath of fresh air when discussing relationship issues. She is upfront, sincere and introspective on how her time with Seung-Hyo led to her growth and maturity. He still looks like a deer-in-the-headlights anytime anyone talks to him about feelings. But what really set off Korean viewers was the creepy night stalking of Seok-Ryu . . . it really triggered Korean women who in real life are constantly afraid of such a situation.

At the halfway point, I still don’t see the romantic connection between the two leads. Unless the writing is like a spaghetti LA expressway interchange, the series will probably run down the path of a bummer melodrama.

There are many romance tropes I like. Even the ones that pop up out nowhere can bring a smile to my face (Why hello, Mr. White Truck!) But the shows that I like the best are clever in their use of these tropes. As @laurensophie says, the tropes here aren't put together well.
The three main ones here have just not been developed beyond their tropiness.

For example, the friends since childhood (and yet not so friendly that the one friend bothers to stay in touch with the other, or call him when she has cancer) which also involves the renewal of high school level behavior trope has not been put to good use. Yes, these episodes had a confession, but it was weirdly anti-climactic and not received in a way that suggested there was any reciprocal sense of long felt romantic desire.

The "burned out by the cold unfeeling world and goes back to the old neighborhood " without any fresh take on this experience (like maybe she begins to realize why she left to begin with, such as her Mom always beating on her- and should head to another city to train as a chef?) Yes, I guess the fact that she had cancer and didn't tell anyone, even her best female friend, let alone her parents, is a slightly different twist, but is that at all realistic?

And then also the ex-fiancé, who as common with kdrama ex-boyfriends and girlfriends, even if they are two timing slime ball cheaters, coming back and for reasons that are often unexamined, demands to renew the old relationship, and then refuses to take no for an answer and becomes a near stalker, generating more immature jealous behavior on the part of the ML. I don't know what will happen with this trope resolution yet, but I don't have a lot of confidence

Maybe the FL should go back to her fiancé. Then the show's last episode could have a time skip, and show her struggling to raise a child, as her husband is out gallivanting around in hostess clubs, with her sobbing words "I wish I had never come back to Korea to find myself."

The mention of this writers Hometown Cha Cha Cha shows how much better it was than this one, in that the hokey met in childhood trope was mainly used to show how considerate the ML was, the return to the small town from the big city was a big city native, and part of the shows dynamic was her outsider status, and the ex-boyfriend was really a nice guy, not a cheater or a stalker at all, and they talked it out and he accepted her refusal.
I'll still watch this one, but it really has to devote more time to the secondary couple and amp up the electricity between the main couple or, at the very least have something new with its handling of tropes beyond cancer for me enjoy it.

After a few supposedly rom-com dramas I am led to believe that Korean parents are against their children's happiness. It is all about you must live according to my wishes because I gave birth to you.
I intensely dislike SR's mother. I thought after last week she would stop hitting her husband but no. The worst is she goes behind her daughter's back to conspire with he ex.
Though it is not funny it feels like a sitcom. Let's put all the characters through random situations and see what happens. SR's desire to cook appeared suddenly, then her cancer. It is not a cohesive story but improv.

8 episodes in and this show has lost everything that endeared itself to me. The plot setup is not bad but the execution and writing leaves so much, much, much more to be desired. Hyun Joon for example could have been an interesting point to be explored. But, supposedly he cheated on Seok Ryu and that hasn't been sufficiently addressed by Seok Ryu so I am not even sure if he did it or not. Seok Ryu came back so weary of everything including the relationship she left behind, that it makes no sense now that she is allowing him to orbit her world. It makes Seok Ryu to be a giant pushover. Like, the guy knew you had cancer and he still cheated. Why are you tolerating him? Is it because you are thankful to him for being there? If so, it's not coming across well. Why are her parents so adamant she must be back with him? Seok Ryu wasn't visiting them that frequently so shy must it be him? Maybe with a better script, Hyun Joon could come across a bit more dynamic. Right now, he is a terrible, annoying plot device. Also, Seok Ryu's parents, I thought we were over the whole lets bully her into a profession she doesn't wish to have. No, we're back to 0. The confrontation between the 4 of them is same and repetitive. I really thought we'd make some progress but cancer is what they will use to plaster the cracks and call it a day. This is such lazy writing. Now, Seung Hyo, I am sorry Jung Hae In deserves better. He is being given nothing to work with which is tragedy. Jung So Min has been given too much and she doesn't have the capacity to handle it, this drama exposed her weak points to me personally. While Jung Hae In has been given bare minimum. The 2nd leads are a breathe of fresh air. I think Choi household has better stories in theory but again the writer doesn't know how to expand on that. I also need answers as to why Seok Ryu hid her cancer from her parents. The justification they will give need to be sound. Even if the relationship is fraught, nobody hides cancer from immediate family. They better have good reason for this weird direction of story.

I also want to add that tsundere characters are overrated!

I...I have thoughts. Cancer thought. I don't like when shows do that, especially not in episode EIGHT. There is already so much going on, and now that. I don't like the trope in general and I really don't think this show in particular needs it. There is so much going on already. I think that was really obvious when even the other plot lines in this episode didn't quite turn all the way over. For example, despite being the main focus for both episodes, I don't feel like Seokryu really had a voice here. Her (cheating!!) ex wouldn't go away. Seunghyo was being all possessive to the point where both men were trying to wrist grab her at the same time at one point. Her family was been awful to her yet again. And then on top of that she gets rushed to the hospital. It's just too much to heap on one character. There are so many other stress related health conditions she could have that aren't CANCER like even ulcers or anxiety for example. The writers still could've gotten a dramatic moment out of her having to be rushed to the hospital regardless.

At this point I wouldn't mind if she moved in with Taehee and just cooked all day from now on. Let her breathe.

This show is a mess. First off, the whole story with the ex doesn't really make much sense? Because at first everybody is against him for some reason, until mom conveniently changes her mind and is in favor of him again. But why is everybody against him? They don't know he cheated? Speaking of, does this show even remember that he cheated? Because they've literally ignored this for two entire episodes now, and it's kind of infuriating.

Now, the romance... It's not working for me. And I don't think it's written all that well either. I'm sorry, but I don't feel the development here? It's like the show uses the "they've liked each other since childhood" trick so they wouldn't actually have to write them growing to like each other in the present. But also, I don't need you to tell me that they liked each other since childhood, I need you to show that to me, and we don't get nearly enough flashbacks for that. The leads have basically been dancing around each other and their feelings for 4 episodes now, with the only proper development being his confession. But aside from that, any development in their dynamic feels minimal at best, at least to me. We get plenty of "big romantic scenes", but I feel like we get very little development outside of that. I do really liked the scene where he follows her after she runs out of her house, and they walk in the park. It's a a more quiet moment where they just support each other, but moments like that feel few and far between. If we get one of those scenes in a single 80-minute episode, it'd be alot. It honestly feels like the romance is being carried by the actors, rather than the writing.

Now, about Seung-hyo. I'm not his biggest fan. Luckily, he toned down his annoying behavior from last week (even if I feel like that kinda happened out of nowhere, but whatever). And I could complain a while about how he was gonna grab her wrist in the beginning of episode 7 to get her away from her ex, despite her giving absolutely no sign of wanting to get away from that conversation. But I'm not gonna complain about that, and I do realize this is more of a personal thing, and I just don't like stuff like this in general.

But anyway, I have a problem with him this week, because of one specific scene: the scene at night where Seok-ryu felt like somebody was following her, so she runs away, only for the person following her to be Seung-hyo. She was obviously scared. So, does he realize his mistake & apologize? Nope. Instead he ends up putting the blame on her, telling her she should've just turned around. Uhm, no she shouldn't have? She was running away, she was obviously scared, so he should've called out to her. Was this scene even necessary in the first place? Why is the writer trivializing something as serious as this?

And, yeah, I just don't like her parents after this week. I was mostly indifferent to the mother, but now I just dislike her. I loved the dad because of last week,...

I was genuinely enjoying this drama until this week’s episodes. So many things went wrong for me:

1. I was dreading the return of the ex-fiance and rightfully so, apparently. Ugh, take a hint and stop being a stalker!

2. I kinda understood Seung-hyo’s immature ways earlier, but I was not a fan of “Take your time but not really! You have 11 days and I will continue to taunt you about it daily.”

3. WTF is with her mom?! I can’t understand/sympathize/empathize with that woman at all. If my type-A daughter came home after suddenly quitting her job and breaking off her engagement I would be worried sick about what was going on with her. Not pushing her back to the environment/lifestyle that made her have a breakdown.

4. I eyerolled the cancer reveal though I suspected some sort of illness causing her previous break from Greip. I also thought, “When did I start watching QoT???” Which I dropped. I was really hoping they would have had her dealing with some mental health issues instead. I’m most invested in Seok-ryu’s journey of self discovery and that would’ve been interesting to explore. I mean, how could she not with those parents, workplace bullying and the immense self-inflicted pressure to be the best?

**Sigh** I’ll stick around for now to follow Seok-ryu’s journey but if we tread deeper into QoT territory I may just be keeping up through recaps 😩

And once again episodes 5 and 6 are my least favorite. Why? Because it felt like they were utterly useless (to me). There was the father getting scammed and feeling like he didn't bring value to the family and then his wife said he does and they're a team only for this week's episodes to go back to the first week/first 2 weeks of the mom feeling resentful of her life and making him feel like a nonfactor or inadequate. Same with Seok Ryu. The mom said she would give her space and time and what happens, she's still trying to ship her off to the life she left behind and said she didn't want.

Regarding the second couple, the friend berated the reporter and his daughter said she wanted nothing to do with her only for this week everyone to be in awe of each other and it feeling like a continuation of week 2 (with some of the knowledge of week 3). I get it; it was suppose to show how caring and righteous she is and how doting he is but I just disliked how that played out so very very much and as always, folks seem very understanding and forgiving in these situations.

I wanted more with the brother but this was not it! I don't even understand what he was trying to do. Some influencer type stuff? And I swear there is just no winning in that family; the oldest is expected to perfect and enviable while the youngest is allowed to experiment while simultaneously being compared to the oldest. I assume part of the reason he lost interest in a bunch of things is because (a) he wasn't great or amazing at it and he didn't want to be a disappointment (b) he wasn't passionate about it and with whatever pressure he may have felt, it made the activity even more unappealing (c) he didn't need to commit to anything because his parents just went along with his whims.

I was incredibly confused by the reaction to the ex fiance. I don't know if it's language barrier issue or translation thing but why does everyone assume he hurt Seok Ryu? At first, I thought Seok Ryu had told them he cheated her but that doesn't seem to be the case. And it also doesn't even seem like he cheated on her by the way Seok Ryu and the ex are acting.

Speaking of cheating, Seong Jun's parents remind me of those dramas that say things like "if you keep all your feelings in, you'll get indigestion". They have SO MUCH that they don't say to each other and it's like why? Are they non confrontational people or do they just not care or love each other? Even if they didn't care or love each other, how about respect each other as parents of someone? I was thinking the wife didn't cheat in a traditional sense but chose her career over her family and that's the incident she wanted Seong Jun to forget or forgive her for but now it does seem like she had some kind of affair and it was known to the guys of the family. It's awfully sad that Seong Jun got her the same exact necklace and yet she treated it like it was precious (granted any gift from a loved one should/could be considered precious) and an empty card. It's just so formal in that house. I couldn't help but think Seong Jun would get Seok Ryu's mom more thoughtful gifts.

I don't understand why Seok Ryu's cancer plot played out like it did. The jerk coworker made it seem like it was some shameful secret that people were gossiping about and it was that she took sick leave YEARS ago for cancer? Seriously? And the only person who knew was her fiance even though she had close friends if not family?

I didn't care for Seong Jun's "we have communication problem" after *he* chased *her* AFTER saying how dangerous it was for her to be out. I swear drama writers seem like they don't comprehend the dangers women face on a daily basis. Even if they know it, they don't *get* it.

Anywho, the second couple were cute. I liked how she gushed about Mudflat Man only to realize she was talking about him then her coworkers also mentioning her instant crush/attraction to Mudflat Man.

It was obvious since the first episodes that there was not much story! I don't understand why the leads kept bickering! Why the writer thinks it is a kind of dating should be! Other then second couple the rest is extremely unmatured. Our main lead couple seems stuck in their teenager years. Why there are many unnecessary flash backs! It is not any help to story! How come everyone totally can not communicate ! Our main leads are my favourites but I cant believe they chose that script! According to googling result the writer's last job was Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. This is defiantly not a slow burn story and we have not seen any improvement since the opening week. One more week but I honestly have no hope from the show! After years of KD experience i knew it would not be a good ride at the first week :)

We barely started on the rom, and now the com is gone? If it's not serial killers, then it's a random cancer storyline in a romcom. Maybe I should have kept my expectations in check given how much I couldn't stand Hometown Cha Cha's ml, but Seung Hyo's writing was not an unpleasant kdrama ml stereotype before, the mother daughter relationship got mended, and the bickering was cute and mutual. Now I feel annoyed with how entitled and rude Seung Hyo seems about and to Seok Ryu so often instead of both of them being funny and childish mutually, the mom's understanding of her oldest child lasted three minutes, and no one seems to want to give Seok Ryu any peace or grace and I just want everyone to leave her alone.

Love all the actors, main and supporting, but this script is not doing any of them justice.

Episode 8 totally ruined my Sunday night, I was soooo pissed! And the weaker points of this drama all hurtled glaringly to the forefront together, too. The preview for the next ep gives me the chills. Soooo disappointed, let’s see if the drama can somehow redeem itself (or not)… :(

Is it weird that I was relieved it was stomach cancer? I seriously thought her hiatus was maybe a suicide attempt and an extended stay at a psychiatric hospital, and I was wondering how they would be able to cover that sensitively. I don't think they'll kill her off, but it makes sense to me after the hospital scene why she was letting that ex hang around and not tell him to gtfo with all the stalking. He must have been there for her while she was sick and recovering. She does care for him, but not enough to marry him. And if she had gone through with the marriage, it would have been out of gratefulness and obligation and would have been what she had been doing all her life.

I've been annoyed with Seung-hyo, but at least he finally confessed. I did get annoyed when he was like "you can think about it" and "you have 11 days". Dude... I like how Seok-ryu is starting to see Seung-hyo in a different light.

I sort of partially agree with Seok-ryu's dad about a cooking career. It can be more grueling than depicted in kdramas. But I also suspect something happened in his previous workplace that traumatized him too. And there are other ways to cook without being in a kitchen during dinner rush - like home catering or those businesses where you can hire yourself out as a private chef for a day.

The Mudflat Guy scenes were gold. The horror of the realization and then having it brought up again. Mo-eum admires Mudflat Guy but neither Dan-ho nor Mo-eum are looking for a serious relationship. Mo-eum wants to go to Antarctica.

I'm still enjoying this drama. I think letting go of seeing this drama as a rom-com helps. I like seeing the various characters interact. The two dads drinking together are a highlight, even though I don't condone excessive drinking. Seung-hyo's dad's drinking habit was hilarious.

I'm so disappointed that this isn't better. I love the premise and the cast, but the script and direction are incredibly mundane and uninteresting. Everything feels forced. Why is it so dang lifeless? Never again for me with this writer (didn't like Cha Cha either). Most of the characters are unlikeable, and I have a very hard time believing any of them are redeemable in the next 8 episodes. Jung and Jung are the only things keeping my eyeballs on this drama. What a waste of a fabulous cast and an opportunity for a truly memorable romcom. Thank goodness No Gain, No Love stepped in where LND has failed.

The script and direction in this show are just so bad.
The writer is just throwing the kitchen sink at it, with the same hubris as the QoT writer did, expecting the audience to just lap up anything based on their last work's success.
The editing decision is to show crucial scenes in halves, or in flashback, expecting it to give it more depth, but actually makes the present scenes so shallow, because the audience doesn't know wth is actually going on...
Case in point, the scene where SR says she still loves "somebody"- I yet don't know if she was speaking of SH or her ex. Or, where she's going around making calls about the gym contest.
Why didn't they just show it all as it happened? It would have been more powerful to see these two have feelings for each other parallelly, and not knowing how the other feels... It would build up the romantic tension, and we'd be more invested to see their paths finally meet somewhere. Right now, they're still on their individual journeys, and then suddenly a landslide will hit bam, and they're together. Pfft.
The relationships seem so superficial also - nobody knows anything about anyone, despite being supposedly ride or die. I am going through a real tough time in my life right now , relationshipwise... And while my friends (we're much like the Lavender group here, known each other for 40+ years) don't know all the details, they still have an inkling, and some more than others... Because we are "in tune"... Words, expressions... some catch on, and ask in private if all's well. That comes from a lifetime of knowing, and that's missing across the board here, be it between friends or spouses. Also, in spite of difficult times, partners still TALK, because how could you live together, and not?!!! Maybe we're the exception to the rule, because my spouse and I are still so vested in each other and our child, despite everything... Lol this is parasocial TMI at its peak, isn't it? 😂 But if it helps someone see the power of communication, why not...
Back to show, the cast is doing a great job, because when have they never. So like I said elsewhere, I'm just going to rage skim through until it starts making sense again. Fingers crossed, it does happen at some point!!

Baek Seok-ryu 🤝 Hong Hae-In

Not telling your loved ones you have cancer

Memo to Show:

1. Dear show, it is entirely possible to do all necessary story beats that move plot and characterisation in 60 mins. Please keep time. This is not the Titanic or Red Cliff, it's just love next door and your neighbourhood is really small.

2. Genre whiplash: "Romcom has left the building, it's Melo now?"
A gf was so irate she raged: "Cancer?! That trope has been done to death. DEATH!" (that went on for a while in our posts cos she was *really* mad).
Romcom, please come back! All is forgiven! I will even take your half-assed jokes!

3. "Will. You. Mary. Me. A foursome proposal."
-- the SQUARE we never wanted to see at mid-arc. Go back to basics, Show. Do your love LINES right (from Party A to Party B), before progressing to TRIANGLES, then SQUARES
SRSH (line, please)

4. The violent yelling parents are back! Call the police! (I never thought I would say this as an Asian, but they are too much. How dare you trample on my Korean cooking instruction book!) ok, just joking. Still, please call the police.

===========================
Plot predictions - highly unscientific Beanie straw poll here

1. The ugly fiance did not cheat on her (show is gonna throw some plot twist or reveal some hitherto unknown intel later)

2. SH's mum did not cheat on dad (or at least she has stopped). She doesn't want a divorce either

3. Wife of Dan-ho will return! Thus completing the unholy trinity of exes in the neighbourhood - they will huddle together, watch the kettle boil to make tea and plot. But of course, taking their time cos "love takes time, so does plotting." (Kermit the Frog sipping tea)

4. Ugly Fiance will give SH a run for his money (I say this with perverse pleasure) cos both are so deplorable and pushy in their own ways I would like to see some karma

Well, I guess that's it.
Episode 7 was pretty forgettable. Once again. I fast-forwarded through much of it. And then I started episode 8, read the comments, and quit. I don't like these people, I'm not interested in what's going on (except for how her career change will pan out), I could care less about the exes, et cetera. I yawned during the confession scene, and though that wasn't really the fault of the show (I was just sleepy), I did think that was pretty symbolic.
I'm done. I might just read the recaps though.

Wow, that was a great watch! I feel like I'm the only person who thinks so. It seems like most commenters were really thrown by the hospital scene.

Why do you think the FL is going to have a cancer relapse and not, say, an attack of appendicitis? She doesn't have to be terminally ill for the cancer to do its work in the plot. It explains so much! Why she's so thin, why she wanted to do more meaningful work, why she left a guy who couldn't support her through it.

That's also why she picks the ex-fiance instead of the ML when it's time to go to the hospital. She's hiding this as a big secret. I will be disappointed if this is a relapse, I must admit it.

All we know about FL's breakup with the other guy is that he wasn't there for her when she needed him.

There's actually a lot we don't know. We know almost nothing about Seung-ho's parents and their apparent total lack of communication. Did the mom have an affair? It doesn't seem in character for her. I'm interested in solving these problems.

I did laugh a lot at the scenes with Mo-eum and Dan-ho. I realize that the writer can still screw the pooch at the end but I am hopeful that this will resolve in a satisfying way.

Ep 8 was 1h 19 minutes. This in itself is really putting a dampening on my strength and sends me yawning. The content of the drama really can't sustain that kind of length.

With these two episodes, I'm increasingly worried that Seung-gyo never exited puberty. He just doesn't deal with things like I'd expect a man in his thirties would. If he was a teenager his behaviour would make more sense.

That said, Seok-ryu isn't faring that much better and I'm starting to wonder if there is some serious miscommunication between the author and the director. I think the two following episodes will decide whether I drop this or not. Right now, I'm more interested in the parents.

I was puzzled by and unsettled by these episodes but also intrigued.
Pros- Finally some info about Seok-ryu's secrecy about her time in the States. I knew something felt off and there was more that she was hiding. In this ep we also learned that her little brother had a whole in his heart as a child which eventually closed on its own with no need for surgery. So her parents have been over-protective and indulgent with him and Seok-ryu now has at least one compelling reason for hiding her health issues in the States. How much do you want to bet her relationship with the ex-fiancee was accelerated too fast because of her diagnosis and he decides to propose? But they didn't have enough foundation to hold that through difficulty and the love didn't have an organic root and that is explains Seok-ryu's explanation to him in the car about it not being "real" but just habit.... this is my take so far.
- Just glad to see Choisseung doing something? Can you see how he relaxes and settles as soon as he finally says something? He becomes so much more pleasant to be around! I enjoyed seeing what pushed him to make a move - "You won't know until it goes in the kiln." Love that metaphor.
And then he finds out Seok-ryu has been calling to find out how the competition went, caring more about him (she obviously loves him) and being the person he has always loved. Boom!
And the line when he says he didn't fall for her because she's "a woman" but "because she's Bae Seok-ryu" Yes!

Cons-
- Choisseung's parents have got to talk and stop assuming and they are driving me crazy. Perhaps a good example of what happens when the pattern their son pointed out of assuming and blaming is multiplied over years but still infuriating and I want to skip them all the time.
- I would have more compassion (perhaps I am mean) for Soek-ryu's parents, her mother's seeming desperation for her daughter to have a "better life" and her father freaking out at his daughter following his footsteps, if the show had SHOWN me more about their life/past that has been so hard/traumatising. Cause right now their reactions seem over the top and are making me crazy.
I want to be invested in both sets of parents but right now they have lost me.

- Last maybe con, there is a thin line between a show giving you unexpected surprises that delight or intrigue and yet make more sense and a show pulling the rug out from under you or reconning to force things to make sense.... this show is going back and forth over that line for me....

I honestly don't understand why Seok-ryu didn't answer Seung-hyo's declaration. What prevented her to say "I like you too" ? Is that some coquetry ? Does she wants to be wowed ? She voiced-over to us that she liked him first. So ? Are you interested or not ? Does she wants the status quo (which is a return to adolescence for both) ?

On the other hand, I totally undestand why she asked her stalking-overinsisting-ex to accompany her to the hospital : he is in on the secret. she still tries to be the perfect student in front of Seung-hyo. He will hurt, rightly. I hope that he will not pout for two eps.

Right now, this week has made me to get more interested in second leads than the first leads.
I want to see more of their encounters/bonding.
They are like comic relief.😊

I was going to write a long comment... then decided to focus on just one thing. Why does the son takes the time to buy a gold necklace for his mother and doesn't even bother to give her a phone call to wish her happy birthday? But the day after he proposes that they all eat together to celebrate! And how did he manage to buy the same necklace that she already have? Is it even statistically possible? And what about the blank card? For a mnute or two I thought the drama was going to turn into a thriller and show us that what we were seeing was not real XD Like The Truman Show. But yeah, it is just bad writing.