#{ sooooo this got way long... }

[nabi-unveiled]

Heavenly Happenings in Heesu in Class 2 (Ep 2)

Ep 1

We left episode 1 of Heesu in Class 2 with this fantastic frame. For the record, I am assuming Seung Won is end game here. I don't know for certain, but that's what my spidey senses and years of drama watching tell me.

I loved this frame so much. There's so much meaning conveyed. Hee Su is in the middle between Chan Young and Seung Won. Chan Young is behind him just like his crush for Chan Young will eventually be. He's really at a turning point in his life, and he's turning towards Seung Won. However, Hee Su doesn't know that yet. He doesn't realize Seung Won is going to steal into his heart just like we can't see Seung Won's face clearly in this frame either.

So where did we go from here? To my personal heaven. It is going to be incredibly difficult to keep within the image limit. Because there is science. There is great dialogue. There are multi-faceted characters. There is a solid narrative structure and set-up. There are themes that look like they may actually be properly explored. There is tension that feels natural, and I'm already emotionally involved with more than one character. Did I say I'm in heaven? 🫠

So what heavenly happenings occurred during Episode 2?

#1 - The universe references didn't get dropped!

Hee Su may claim he doesn't know what he likes, but he definitely likes science and poetry. He thinks in poetic science metaphors all the time. I can relate. We start the episode on the cusp of confessing and believing in the possibilities.

But Chan Young flashes a new couple's ring, and Hee Su crashes back to Earth and his reality. His "I'm not the main character anyway." about broke my heart. You can tell that Hee Su has built his life around Chan Young in a lot of different ways often at the expense of himself. He deserves to be his own person and not just the person who films and holds stuff for Chan Young. But for someone like Hee Su, it will take something external to make him realize that his own interests have value. Unfortunately, this is true in real life for a lot of people that hold the "counselor" role in their circle.

We also have a universe reference regarding Ho-sik (our friend on the fringe) getting a confession. For now, I've decided that these negative comments about Ho-sik aren't something to be worried about on his behalf. He gives as good as he gets, and it's really just giving friend energy instead of mean girl energy.

I do particularly love that this line happens right before Hee Su literally falls into Seung Won's arms. The universe is giving you a sign.

#2 - We've now added even MORE science to our dialogue, and it's used both literally AND figuratively.

This episode was all about the supermoon, and I couldn't be happier. Because they actually TALKED about the science. At perigee (when the moon is closest to Earth), it does have an impact on tides. And people DO tend to have a misconception about it being associated with earthquakes. It's like the misconception about toilets flushing in different directions due to the Earth's rotation. Somehow it's seeped into people's collective consciousness even thought it's not accurate.

I also love that Hee Su was apparently the cause of the misinformation. It happens more often than you'd think that the science friend is actually the one that spreads the falsehoods. Sometimes it gets spread intentionally. For example, Hee Su may have said this when he was younger and didn't know it was false yet. Teachers tell you a LOT of incorrect stuff in science class. But sometimes it's unintentional as well. It's quite possible that Hee Su explained it accurately, but that Chan Young and his sister didn't understand the nuance of what he was explaining. Yeah, I've been there. I've had that face Hee Su gave his sister when he asked who told her that. "I did?" This chance goes up if he was mixing it with metaphors.

My only qualm - this line of dialogue isn't accurate.

Supermoons are very predictable. You can look them up and know when they'll be years into the future.

#3a - The confirmation that confession is particularly risky because this universe isn't a Thai BL bubble.

I grappled with a bit of the dialogue in episode 1. But episode 2 pretty much confirms that @daemondamian and @watchthisqqq were right in that the show was trying to convey the difficulty of confessing in a heteronormative world. I still disagree with the implications of the original dialogue, and I hope they address moving on after rejection (sister maybe?). But it is VERY true that this universe is not the bubble of our Thai BLs.

Seung Won thought that Hee Su couldn't have been getting ready to confess when he realized Hee Su was talking to Chan Young.

Hee Su automatically assumes that Seung Won's crush is a girl.

We had also had the conversation between Hee Su and the girl in the skatepark during Episode 1. There is an additional risk in confessing when you're queer. Especially in a conservative society.

We saw a lot of the confession theme build in general. Hee Su repeats the dialogue from his sister showing again where he's learned his facts about dating.

The dialogue is also building on this idea that being confessed to feels good. We see Ho-Sik's reaction to his gangster girl's love box. And Hee Su calls it feeling like he's been "upgraded" when he reads the messages on the anon message board. After all, he's normally only approached as a way to get to Chan Young 😞. A sentiment and feeling that Chan Young actually reinforces in both episode 1 and 2. I just haven't decided if it's purposeful or being an unaware teenager on Chan Young's part.

#3b - We've now started exploring that the risk isn't only in the confession.

Beyond confessing, we're now building in new threads. There is always the threat of a break-up. Hee Su has actually advised people to break up. He knows it's true. Isn't it better to just stay by their side rather than risk a rift?

Once he considers the possibility of breaking up, Hee Su becomes much more reticent about confessing.

After all, is dating really worth it?

(Side note - It's interesting that the physical heights of the three boys align with their "social status" at school. Hee Su sees himself as below Chan Young in a lot of ways, but you can tell he thinks he's above Ho Sik. It's not malicious. It's a teenager's mind at work.)

#4 - There's a thread starting about what is actually required in relationships.

There is discussion about what attracts people in the first place. I agree with Noona. Looks are important...to some of us at least. It's not the only thing and it's not everyone's thing, but it'd be a lie to say it didn't matter to me.

But more importantly, we're now exploring what it means to be in a relationship. If you can't disagree. If you always go along with the other person. If you always do what they want. Is that really a relationship?

Noona says "that's an acquaintance". I may not have loved the fact that noona is playing break-up games with her man to straighten him out, but this line does ring true to me. It's really true for any type of relationship - friendship or romance. If you can't express your thoughts, then the other person doesn't really know you. Relationships are a two way street. It's a lesson I learned the hard way. It's also a lesson that Hee Su will need to learn. While I do think Chan Young knows some things about and responds to Hee Su, that relationship definitely has energy flowing primarily one way.

#5 - There are parallels that add meaning and depth.

Hee Su implies that Seung Won must be close to our musical mystery girl if he lends her a book. He's practically sitting on top of Seung Won while he says it which is an interesting play on physical vs. emotional closeness.

And later on, our musical mystery girl does indeed lend a book...to Chan Young. A book that holds a lot of personal meaning to her.

I looked the book up. The reviews are mixed, but the plotline may have some parallels to this couple.

There are also a TON of parallels used to display how actions that are used to convey someone likes you may not mean anything of the sort.

The carrot juice gets mysteriously left on Hee Su's desk to indicate someone likes him. But it also gets given by Chan Young just because he doesn't like carrot juice. It gets given by Ho Sik as a thank you.

The girls may want to hold Chan-Young's belongings while he plays sports, but he gives his shirt to Hee Su. However, Ho Sik ALSO gives his stuff to Hee Su to watch. BOTH Chan Young and Ho Sik feed Hee Su/share food in the cafeteria. After all, sharing is caring. So just like what Seung Won is really asking Hee Su outside the convenience store, what comes after the gift? There's got to be more than just buying the drink to demonstrate romantic feelings.

Now, there IS a different feel when the two friends do these things with Hee Su. It's part of what fueled my initial dislike of Chan Young. I initially felt he probably knew Hee Su's feelings and was playing him to a degree. And he still might be doing that. However, after this episode, I'm beginning to think that the difference in feeling is because we're experiencing it from Hee Su's perspective rather than an actual difference. Hee Su feels different about these actions when they come from Chan Young compared to someone else. And if that's the case, then Chan Young is at least an oblivious jerk instead of a manipulative one.

I also really liked the tteokbokki parallel. Seung Won asks Hee Su what he ate yesterday. But Hee Su makes his choices based on Chan Young. It's not what HE actually wants.

Which makes it interesting that he immediately says he doesn't want to eat tteokbokki with Seung Won. Because I don't think that it's just that he didn't want to hang out with Seung Won. He says he's busy, but I doubt comforting his sister would've stopped him from going out with Chan Young. The supermoon would have been later that night and not impeded tteokbokki time either.

Furthermore, Hee Su offers to do it at a different time when he realizes that Seung Won may like tteokbokki. I just think it's a sign that he thinks of himself when he's around Seung Won. He doesn't see Seung Won as above him. Is it possible that he doesn't actually like tteokbokki? That would be a fun detail if it came true.

That said, I felt bad for Seung Won here. This reaction would have felt like a soft rejection which brings us to another running theme in this show...unintentionally hurting others.

#6 - The theme of unintentional hurt is explored in more nuanced ways.

Episode 1 started exploring this idea with the comments about Chan Young's thoughtless comments. And Ho-Sik doubles down on that this time by pointing out that what Chan Young does "is a crime" and that he gives all the girls false hope.

But Chan Young wasn't the only one hurting people's feelings this episode.

Ho-sik hurt our Gangster Girl's feelings in the cafeteria by thinking her gift came from someone else and talking loudly about another girl.

And in his interactions with Seung Won, Hee Su is actually doing a lot of the thoughtless things that Chan Young is accused of doing. For example, he touches Seung Won a lot. As a person who isn't touched much, Seung Won is going to notice every time it happens. It's going to cause all kinds of emotion every time Hee Su is thoughtlessly doing it.

And you know that it's got to pain Seung Won when Hee Su offers to help him get a girlfriend.

We can easily hurt others even if we don't mean to do so.

#7 - Chan Young gained a few layers this episode.

To be clear, I still think Chan Young is a jerk. A teenage jerk who likes indie music. But a jerk nonetheless. He's annoyed that a girl he agreed to go out with wants to wear a ring. (Note: It's not about the ring which was a bit much. It's about how he's talking about her.) He antagonizes Ho-Sik by asking if he was sure the gift was really for him.

And the moment that clenched it for me - he threw my boy Ho-Sik's knitting project right after Ho-Sik said to be careful with it. Grrrr.

I don't think he's malicious. I think he's a teenager. One who frequently seems to do things that he doesn't actually WANT to do for reasons that are worth exploring. Regardless, he inadvertently hurts a lot of people.

I'm still debating where he stands in his relationship with Hee Su. I do think he might be a bit possessive with comments like thinking Seung Won was meddling by reminding Hee Su of a club meeting. If nothing else, it's apparent that he relies a lot on Hee Su (ex. wanting him to join the same club). But based on his reaction to our musical goddess, it's not romantic feelings.

The feelings I do know he has? Insecurity. Feeling second-best to his brother is eating away at him. I'm the older sibling, and my brother was always very up front with me that it sucked to be compared to me all the time (by teachers/community; not by our parents). The brother seems to recognize that feeling is in play.

With that in mind, I do wish the brother had just put his own medals away. If you know it's a problem, then take care of it. Why make Chan Young do it? Even if it's Chan Young's room, it's your medals. That said - I did get the impression that a lot of the problem stems from issues with their parents rather than the brother himself.

I also found it interesting that Chan Young's bedroom is noticeably smaller and more cramped than the other bedrooms we see. I first noticed it, because I was jealously eyeballing the bookshelves in Hee Su, Seung Won, and music girl's rooms. But if you look back, there's a lot of stuff/junk cramped into a space behind Chan Young's desk. Knowing that he moved from where Seung Won lives now to here makes me wonder....are financial issues in play too?

And then we saw his reaction to our musical goddess. I found their interaction hilariously funny. Why? He says he doesn't know her name, but she is wearing a nametag. So that means one of three things - either he really IS a very oblivious person, he was trying to "look chill" after her stalker comment earlier, or he was using it as a way to get her to open up to him. Maybe a combination of all three.

I should also admit that this interaction is probably more amusing to me than most, because it is very much how I introduced myself to my husband. I decided not to wait on the formal introductions, walked up to him and said "Hi! I don't know you. What's your name?" We were wearing nametags. He pointed down at it and slowly enunciated his name like I was an idiot. Was it socially awkward? Yes. Did it work though? Also yes. Just like it seems to have worked for Chan Young. Difference being, Ji Yu definitely knew Chan Young's name already. I get her. This jerk's going to grow on me probably as we see new sides of him.

#8 - Families are an integrated fixture.

Chan Young's brother wasn't the only new family member to our mix. We also met Seung Won's mom. It's obvious that she cares but isn't really there. I get the feeling that she works a lot. However, I did find it interesting that she talked about "college isn't everything".

It's actually something that has come up a lot about Seung Won in the first two episodes. The other students talk about Seung Won valuing college. Hee Su says he's the "AI of college admissions". But you know who HASN'T mentioned it? Seung Won. He actually asks Hee Su who says that. Does he actually care about college? Or is this just another area where he's misunderstood?

And we continued highlighting our fabulous sibling relationship between Hee Su and his sisters. Their relationship is everything to me at this point. Much like Babe and Teerak in Your Sky, a strong sibling bond is going to get me every time.

I particularly loved how - even though Hee Su thought his sister was "embarrassing" with her panda eyes in the street - he immediately jumped up to put his arm around her and walk her home. I also love that, while Hee Su is often shown taking care of his older siblings and doing things like washing the dishes, these interactions don't read like they forced him to grow up or he was required to be the responsible one. It really just feels like part of his personality.

#9 - Seung Won may be the actual "stalker", but I will defend him with my last breath.

They described Ho-Sik's actions as being a stalker in the last episode and Chan Young's actions were described that way in this episode.

But our real "stalker" is Seung Won. You know that he was waiting to leave the house until Hee Su left. That's why he was late too. But I approve, and I will defend any stalker tendencies he may have. I already said in episode 1 that I was adopting him. Hee Su may talk science and get my mind, but Seung Won has my heart.

The "stalker" term is used a LOT in dramaland discussions, but most of the time we don't mean the characters are stalking literally (excluding SCOY and SCOY: Mame Edition). In a lot of ways our use of the term echoes the theme that was started last time - how do you approach someone? How do you build a relationship? Because steps must be taken to "approach someone naturally" as Hee Su advises.

Seung Won knows this. Asking the boy you like to go to a hip-hop concert with you isn't easy. You can't just jump straight to it. The show has already told us this too. This is particularly true if you are often misunderstood. Get ready for self-projection here. Introverts who are not shy, observe people, and are confident in their skills are often misunderstood. Particularly if they come across as more "robotic" or tend to maintain direct eye contact (Seung Won does both). Notice how everyone seems to be a little scared or intimidated by Seung Won. Has he done anything to deserve that? No. Not that we've seen at least.

Muenfah suffers a bit of the same issue in Your Sky, but I feel like the show forgot he was supposed to have that personality fairly early on. It was a bait and switch for him in some ways (that's a whole different post though). It'll be interesting to see how Heesu in Class 2 handles the "softening" or opening up of Seung Won. I'm really hoping he gets to keep a lot of his personality like Sang Woo did in Semantic Error. Because us introverted but not shy, unintentionally intimidating robots...we exist. But many shows try to erase a lot of those traits as the narrative progresses in the name of "growth" or "being fixed" by love. (Note: I'm not talking about tsundere characters here.)

#10 - There are natural triggers to motivate actions.

There have been a lot of things I've loved in this show so far. But I'll end with the fact that the writing is solid (so far). Many times in dramaland characters do things for the sake of the plot. We go into empty basements with someone who is mentally unstable to advance the plot. We randomly decide to go on a trip because we need to stumble across a plot point. Plot armor is a thing. But so far, all of the actions in Heesu have developed from natural triggers.

For example, Hee Su goes to find Chan Young at the academy. And it makes sense that he might have taken this action. He's been pondering his science metaphors as he looks at the supermoon. It's very similar to him running to confess in episode 1. He's someone who takes action when his heart bubbles over with emotion. So far that has always seen him running towards Chan Young.

But then he sees something he can't ignore. A side of Chan Young he didn't know. He KNOWS how Chan Young normally responds to girls, and this isn't it. That smile was his earthquake. It destroyed his world and the possibility of hope far more than the couple ring at the beginning of the episode. Which leads us to one of the most selfish actions Hee Su has taken so far, he decides to try and eliminate his competition by trying to pair her up with Seung Won.

Throughout the first two episodes, he kept telling people to let things happen naturally or to approach people naturally. Most of his "advice" hasn't really fallen into matchmaking territory. But now...he's decided he will be the supermoon. He's going to make things happen. Because what's happening naturally, he can't allow that to happen.

[lavender-phannie]

Might rewatch Dan and Phil’s undertale playthrough just to feel something

[schnaf]

23 days until ode's 23rd birthday

day 13 - photobooth

[endwersed]

editing this next chapter of tpar has been a slog so far

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

finally working on my short story collection after manyyyy months of fear!!!! I HAVE A PLAN OF ACTION!!!!

[twistedappletree]

10 inches of snow is wild! I don’t blame you for hating it 😂 Maybe thinking about some cute ZhuiLing winter headcanons will make it a more positive experience? 💜

no bc this is actually such a good idea what the h e c k 😭 positive association baybeeeee~

🩵✨💛

• Lan Sizhui is a walking hand warmer. Since Jin Ling’s hands are so much smaller than his, they get colder faster. When they’re outside, Lan Sizhui frequently stops to warm his hands with his breath and makes sure to hold his hand with his own facing the cold so Jin Ling’s stays warmer.

• Jin Ling does not understand Lan Sizhui’s insistence on practicing his cultivation regardless of the weather. It makes him paranoid about Lan Sizhui getting sick, so he (lovingly) scolds him about it and tries to coax him inside to relax and keep warm. Sometimes, Jin Ling finds him practicing in a snowstorm and goes outside to yell at him about catching a cold, except Jin Ling is the one who catches a cold instead and Lan Sizhui feels so guilty about it that he finally listens to him and stays inside to take care of him.

• Jin Ling has a comfy little nesting spot on the floor of their room made out of pillows, furs and blankets with dim lanterns for ambiance. It’s facing a window so he can see the snowfall. He likes to curl up with Fairy and Lan Sizhui while he sips tea and watches Lan Sizhui study, write notes, draw pictures of plants and their properties, etc. He also enjoys listening to him read books out loud so he can fall asleep to his voice.

• Fairy loves going on early walks in the snow, which are usually joined by Lan Sizhui since he’s the morning person between the two. But Jin Ling eventually starts going with them because he secretly feels like he’s missing out. Unfortunately, while the walks are beautiful, he has the uncanny luck of having mounds of melting snow fall from the trees on top of his head. Lan Sizhui starts bringing an umbrella and holds it over both of them so Jin Ling can enjoy the walks without getting soaked.

🩵✨💛

[olberic]

finished my first metal model kit! fun as hell i need to do a million more. also look at himmmm absolute peak megatron design

[broke-on-books]

My dumb ass dropped my phone in the sink

Clearly still working though THANK GOD

[kathrynmjaneway]

.

[loverboybrightsideghost]

nah

[aq2003]

i can't be happy for the bisexuals pairing up with each other in the end if i'm weeping over malvolio come on guys this isn't funny. Guys this isn't funny. guys. please. Please

[pummelingbat]

bold of me to listen to the big jmart confession episode & just brush that aside for my .02 crumbs of shitty rarepair lmfao

[killjoy-prince]

AND NOW HIS SECOND BAD RELATIONSHIP END IS MINE AS WELL!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

[anarkhebringer]

Me and my goth girlfriend getting ready to beat the shit out of the cults that made us who we are

[toxiccoworkeryaoi]

ive never understood the "how can you do anything with those nails i could NEVER wear them like that" comment. like? skill issue

[cuteniarose]

A not-yet-explored but objectively hilarious aspect of Ehuang's existence is that now the Beifongs and the Red Lotus share a grandchild and you just KNOW family dinners were An Ordeal every single fucking time