I’m relatively new to kdramas so I likely am unaware of many tropes so I am hoping to learn from you seasoned watchers.
– ToD usually used to kill off a loved one and give the leads a tragedy to deal with. In the beginning ToD has working brakes (!) and HN survives but she thinks she should die. Then they use ToD to bring her story full circle when she also survived the 2nd ToD (first with KM), but then is plowed down by the older brother ToD. Now she wants to live and wishes she had told JW she loved him. ToD manages to kill off the “villain” who turns out not quite that black/white.
-Piggy back ride so the couple can be physically close and swoony. We get 2 couples doing a marco/polo like cat fight to highlight how pathetic the guys are.
-Umbrella scene usually swoony moment of closeness. They did have a slightly swoony one when they’re both drunk and HN falls asleep again on JW’s shoulder and he complains she’s a perpetual violator of their no touching rule as enemies. Then the other one when he gives her his umbrella during their breakup was heartbreaking.
-Episode 13 breakup happened in episode 8 and it was for a good reason and not to create tension- HN was not in the right mind mentally for a relationship and they were letting the giddy of falling in love obscure all the work they still needed to do on themselves and their relationship.
-The Kopiko coffee candy wakes up anyone right away. The one HN left for JW made him sad and miss HN more. Although they did come back to this with HR and DY but DY was lethargic because he was sad about letting Nurse Do and JW go although he knew it was for the best.
-The murder mystery was not dragged out to the end and neither leads were put into danger and needing rescue. Instead it was more a story of greed/opportunity/misplaced revenge.
-The expected working abroad and time skip to bring angst to the couple. Instead, we got to see silly scenes of OTP missing each other even though she hadn’t left yet. It was also an opportunity to show how much stronger HN had grown and was willing to protest aloud any mistreatment now.
-The chaebol-like parents refusing the marriage to a “lesser person” and coming to stop the wedding. I assume they were aware but too busy/or too uninterested to bother to protest.
-I was so glad they didn’t do the childhood love or that JW secretly loved HN when they were in high school. Instead it is safe to say that he really did consider her a rival who wreaked havoc on his otherwise perfectly bland and no love life but it was familiar and easy. I totally thought she was going to hit him when his friends kept telling her how much he badmouthed her every day in school… instead she accepted it as who they were back then and instead was worried that calling his friend and trying to reconcile them might have been a wrong thing to do.