This week's set of eps: slay
They finally understood the assignment

Man, this week's episodes were ROUGH. Man, I felt for BH, but poor MK had all my empathy. He really did her dirty. Wow. This is one of the few times where the trauma is explained, understood, and makes sense. Even how she got past it was reasonable. I would want nothing to do with anything Wonhan too. I wonder how they get back from this. That being said, episode 9 when they finally became boyfriend and girlfriend was perfect. SIGH, but episode 10 was hard. I am looking forward to the last two episodes. Sad, but excited.

I know that there are different rules to real life and Kdramas, but honestly that could never be me.
First of all, I hate corporate. Second, you want me to forgive and be in a relationship with a man who has not once but twice destroyed my livelihood??!!
No, no, somethings can't be fixed, no matter how great the visuals.

I don't believe Mi-Kyung didn't search everything she could find about Hee-Jin after she learnt her boyfriend cheated on her and will marry the new girl. So the fact she didn't know who was Hee-jin was really weird for me. In addition, Hee-jin knows Baek-Ho.

It's the same for Baek-Ho, I can't imagine him forgetting the person he was very unfair to. He's a very straight, doing something like that it's not in his personality and he wouldn't forget about it.

I think Mi-Kyung should talk with Hee-jin because her silence protect the jerk. Both of them were played by him and suffered.

Baek-Ho faced the reality of how his job affects real people not once, but twice. The first time is when he realized what happened to MK when he first demoted her to knowingly face ostracization, and the 2nd time when he saw how devastated her potato lab colleagues were when they found out she was fired. Not only that, the CEO in-law and Ki-se were quick to dump the blame all on him. "Hey, I only asked you for a favor, YOU did the dirty work!". It's hard to imagine him staying in that position now that he sees the human-side of his actions and not just cold facts and numbers.

This show has had its own redemption arc and I for one am here for it! 💖

There are so many things I love about it (now that my brain has wiped the memory of the first few eps of slapstick psychosis and doing our FL dirty)👀, including:

*The ML's emotional intelligence. The stoic, cold ML is often written as emotionally stunted, but BH does a wonderful line in mature understanding.
His many variations on 'I can tell you're lying, but I should ignore that, right, because it means it's something you're not ready to tell me yet' are a delight.

Was also a big fan of him coming clean and revealing every sordid truth of his past actions to her instead of doing some lame noble idiocy and just making her think he didn't care about her anymore.

* Love the female friendship and the way that has been centred in the story instead of the usual ML and 2ML frenemy/friendship.

* Love the flirtation and romance and piping hot chemistry (We got PJs, confessions, and 'let's say how we feel with our lips instead of our words' kisses - Ooh la la!) (Big fan of the 2nd leads romance as well - They are both great characters, especially Ong-ju)\

The last couple of weeks have been really enjoyable with some fab comedy, alongside real romance (you know, how rom coms are meant to be!).

But the tragedy also feels heartbreakingly real rather than a contrived problem to keep the OTP apart. It makes me yearn for them to be together even more.... Hwiting show - send us out with a happy ending, you can do it! 🙏🤞

Omg, I love it. I love the flirting, the comedy and the pain.
I think Kang Tae-oh didn't blink even once at the finale scene. So well done.

Who would have thought, that out of the three romcoms, this would be my favorite romance? It's giving me all the feels right now and I am here for it.

And hello LADY HO-STLEDOWN! Loved the Bridgerton reference.

I liked this drama from the start, but I will also say that it's one of the very few that grew better and better as it went along. I hope they nail the ending.

There were parts of these episodes that were painful and although not the worst moment on that front, I knew I was in for a rough ride during that flashback scene where a giddy MK goes to hug Ki-se from behind in the break room and he's all dismissive and cold to her. That just made my heart ache, even more than the actual breakup with the wedding invitation. And even though it's hard to watch at times, I appreciate how the show isn't flinching away from or minimizing how awful this turn of events really was. Sometimes in kdramas, the plot twist that a partner cheated is provided as a devastating event, sure, but maybe with the exception of "Bora Deborah," the FL or ML's pain doesn't resonate on a relatable level for me. But in this drama, it didn't feel cartoonish, just quietly devastating. It helps that although Ki-se is undeniably a jerk, he also seems human, too--highly flawed, but human.

My heart also ached for BH who is so obviously in love with MK and wants only to make her happy. What he did was wrong, but in the context of his job and personality at the time very understandable. I'm not exactly sure how they can get beyond this, though. Please, show, make it all ok!

How difficult must have been for Mi-kyung hearing Hee-jin talking about falling in love with Mi-kyung's boyfriend at the time, taking long walks etc. The last scene was heartbreaking and I wonder how she will be able to forgive him in a believable way.

I have said it after week 1: I love this Drama! It is one of the rare gems that got better towards the end and though I think having only 12 episodes is an advantage to counter draggy storytelling-I do not want to accept that PL will end next week. Also, there is this Angst that they will not be able to tie up this nuclear blast of a plot twist in 2 episodes in a way that it will follow the lovely pacing and storytelling so far. Honestly, I am amazed by the depth they gave MK in the past episodes. And Baek-hos confession scene- contrary to DaebakGrits I rewatched it 5times already, the acting is so good it is worth the walterfalls I released every time. If they do not screw up the end, PL will enter my all time top 5. And, of course: magnificent recap writing by the awesome @DaebakGrits - I will miss these PL recaps especially

I remain watching the show purely for Kang Tae-oh.
The character of Onju is an added bonus.
As for the other characters and problematic plot line for a romance...meh.

ALL THE FEELS. T___T My girl Mi Kyung. I love her heart and her resilience.

Ugh, I wanted more flirty skinship scenes between Mi Kyung and Baek Ho before the angst! The confession scene was perfect. Lovely, sentimental setting. Sweet kisses. No interruptions!

Baek Ho having time spent with a village ajumma was touching. Both of them delivered heartbreaking emotions.

I'm glad Mi Kyung and Ong Ju made up quick. I want a bestie like Ong Ju. The way I squeed and cheered when she was reacting the same to Mi Kyung's "no words" answer. I replayed this scene too much!

I'm already lamenting that this drama is ending soon.

KI SE IS STILL TRASH. Selfish jerk to the end.

These last few episodes were... actually good? Where was all this energy before? The weak beginning to this drama must be why so many ppl dropped it, leading to the terrible ratings... now it's too late for a second chance :(

Anyways, I liked how they built up the tension towards Baek-ho's terrible secret and how Kang Tae-oh portrayed all the angst Baek-ho was carrying inside. BUT I was really enjoying the main couple's flirting and dates... I am not looking forward to their breakup era.

I also liked some of the complicated characterization especially with Ki-se.... Park Ki-se is a terrible human being in many ways but there's something sympathetic about him. That scene at his dad's funeral, how he remembers giving the old man the cold shoulder to keep sucking up to the chairwoman... Then bursts into tears.... He cheated on one woman and used another but he made himself miserable too. In a desperate struggle to make it to the top from the very bottom, he made every possible bad choice and he's now in a cage of his own making.

The more I think about it the more confused I am about Hee-jin's and Ki-se's relationship. For her it was love at first sight, where she threw everything over to follow Ki-se back. For him she was a means of advancing in the company. She left him because she got sick of competing with the memory of his ex. He looked all over for her for years, but rejected her after she came back wanting to reconcile? And so cruelly at that? Mind you this was before his father's death when all the angst and regret set it. I get that he had selective amnesia about past events and thought himself a victim, but you'd think if he was strictly acting in his own best interest he'd take her back for his future security at Wonhan. It appears that he was asked to keep the divorce a secret due to the stigma and thus securing his position at Wonhan, but wouldn't it be better and safer if she returned? What is going on in that man's head?

I'm so hoping to catch up with this drama at some point. The recap was hilarious. But it's made me curious about DaebakGrits. Without looking up any bio, if there is one, I'm really intrigued to find out if s/he is Korean or English or American or what. Because their English is better than mine and I am English.

Is dramabeans a Korean site for English speaking fans? Or for Koreans, because they're so good at foreign languages? I'm disgusted with myself and my country for our lack of foreign language skills, tbh.

I don't agree that Baek Ho's actions make him unredeemable. As many have pointed out, he was the Wohan Bastard, the fixer. He was asked to make an employee leave quietly so he transferred her to the company equivalent of Siberia and then promptly forgot about it.

If that is evil, then it's the type of corporate evil that happens on a regular basis. Not to excuse it, but that is a much broader discussion.

When he confesses what he did to Mi Gyeong, he elaborates a great deal. He talks about how his actions were performed in a "despicable manner" and says that he knew full well that the isolation and shame would drive her away. At the time, those were not his thoughts. She was just a file and it was just a transfer with the intent of "encouraging her to quit". Everything he added during his conversation was to show her that he (now) understood what he did without sugar-coating it or trying to justify it. It was the equivalent of falling on his sword. No pity, no excuses.

Obviously, he does not forgive himself and does not ask for forgiveness. What remains to be seen is whether she will forgive him or not. She was the one harmed, so it's her prerogative to do so.

I suppose that we as viewers can have our opinion, but to me, what he did, was not unredeemable. It's not, for example, like cheating on your girlfriend and marrying a woman to advance your career. If she chooses to forgive him, understanding that he has grown since those days, he can spend the rest of his life making it up to her. I would be fine with that. But then I'm the forgiving sort.

As a note, it also explains why the show went to great lengths to show him as a green flag, to balance out this original sin

I did not expect this potato romance to be so compelling.....

Frankly, I think Baek-ho is screwed (or at least he would be in the real world - I have no doubt the writers will have these two make up and LHEA.) The issue isn't that Baek-ho ruined MK's life. Its the fact that he's the type of person who is fine completely ruining strangers for no reason at all. That speaks to your character. That seems like it would be a deal breaker.

As for Ki-se, this guy is the absolute worst! This drama has given me zero reasons why Hee-jin, or for that matter, MK, would ever be interested in this guy!

Curious how our OTP's situation will be resolve and whether it will be believable/satisfying. The writers seemed to have really painted themselves in a corner here.....

I am hoping - really hoping - that the drama is written in a way that it makes us think one thing (BH bad!) but rewatching it, or the next episode, it will resolve our interpretation of the whole situation.

It’s telling that in the comments for this week’s episodes that there seems to be more Ki-we than BH. I still think Ki-Se and now Se-Jin are awful coercive people who are trying to absolve themselves of guilt and responsibility for the whole situation by making BH think everything that happened is his fault.

Personally I hope that this is all a terrible misunderstanding crafted through clever writing, our understanding of MK’s perspective shared in ep 9 and BH’s recounting of his side in ep 10 and then the confession is all written in a way that we are made to intentionally conflate all elements of the situation and place blame squarely on BH (which KS and Se-Jin would like everyone to do!).

As they say there are two sides to every story and the truth is somewhere in between.

BH’s revelation has blinded a lot of people to the fact that he wasn’t actually the bad guy in this whole situation. BH cheated on MK for better part of a year, and even HJ may have known that he was in an rship before the got married (but not the whole time), and no one who knew the full story - He-Jin, Ki-Se, Se-Jin - ever reached out to MK, they never made ki-se, try to rectify the situation over six years - they just sent in someone to execute an order and hoped to never hear about it again. Everyone who knew about the situation - from the chairwoman to KS’s father and everyone in between - just abandoned MK. These people are the true bottom feeders.

Enter BH who knew nothing about anyone or the situation (as DaebakGrits noted, he had to check with Se-Jin about whether a restructure he did six years and probably 200 restructures ago, related to Ki-Se). Sure he didn’t remember her name, but it’s literally a kdrama trope how many people have the same names in Korea.

His retelling of the story to MK is emotionally charged because he’s in love with MK and he knows how much the situation almost destroyed her.

She listens to his account and after six years and so much pain, hears someone taking the blame for *all of it*, and for the first time. Obviously she’s going to think the worst, happily let him take the blame for everything, not just being moved at work - she’s been holding onto it all for six years and needs to heal in her own right. Her behaviour from the start was angry and vengeful - her mother dying and her breakup shaped much of this, and partly because she probably never got closure from Ki-Se.

And, as I commented on a previous episode - I have always though KS (and now Se-Jin) had some kind of emotional pull over BH - BH in one conversation early on seemed quite easily manipulated by KS, called him hyung. I liked that he finally told him to get a hobby, but Ki-Se and Se-Jin both telling BH that what MK suffered was nothing to...

After watching all 10 episodes, I must say that, surprisingly, I kind of like it. I think Mi-kyung and Baek-ho love relationship is salvageable. She fell in love with him knowing full well that part of his job involves firing people, including herself. She was well aware of his position in the company and the fact that he’s tough with others but a softie with her. He explained how he built those boundaries and recently showed a willingness to cross them. She even called him weird a few times. I don’t see her as a hypocrite, and once everything settles, she’ll realize that if she accepted him as he was—fully aware of what he did for the company—she should also accept it even though she was personally affected by his actions six years ago. After all, he fired both her boss and her, yet she still fell for him afterward. It’s not as if he initiated her dismissal; he was just executing the plan handed to him. I’d hate for her to turn hypocritical now, blaming him for doing his job after she fell for him knowing others had suffered the same fate. Plus, he’s not exactly remorseless—he’s shown regret toward her and, hopefully, might even quit his job to make amends to others. In other words, she’s not so principled that she can’t understand the position he was in six years ago. Who could love a guy like that otherwise? She even kissed him while he was unconscious right from the start only because she found him attractive, didn’t she? Trying to paint her as a saint and him as a monster just doesn’t hold up when you consider all the facts.
Another thing that strikes me is that it seems out of character for her to quietly endure all that abuse from her coworkers and leaders six years ago. From what I’ve gathered, she’s always been confrontational and a fighter, especially when she knows she’s right. I’d expect her to either fight back or leave, not just sit there taking it—or worse, seeing her cheating, obnoxious, now-married ex-fiancé at work every day. This makes me think both of them struggle to stay emotionally stable during crises, and that’s what makes them perfect for each other: her with a touch of ADHD and him with hints of autism, at least in my view.
I hope the drama shifts the blame where it belongs—to the people who actually hold power in that company. My ideal ending would be him quitting, helping her sue the company, and then using the settlement money and his skills to start her own potato brand, restaurant chain/ franchise. But I’m not that optimistic. After all, we had a flawless male lead in another drama, and look how that turned out.

Finally! Horrible, rocky start to this Kdrama but boy is it now delivering!!! I also am really enjoying the brother and her best friend relationship. The water hose scene while the brother was washing the stuffed bear... priceless. I had tear in my eyes from the joy they were all sharing with each other but especially the ML because I do not believe he had ever had that with people, per say, that sense of silly fun.