#Hae-in seeing how much she means to her family.

[10underoot2]

I cannot stress enough how strongly episode 14 starts. I loved so much of it.

- Haein's beautiful monologue at the start. I love how it contrasts the Church conversation because he does remember and he's willing to still stay true to his promise of being by her side.

"We put emphasis on our happy moments but we dont know what the future hold for us. So we make promises we can't keep and laugh as if these happy moments will last forever. However, there is a dark side behind those radiant moments. When the magical moments dissapeared and hardships made me want to give up, a thought crossed mind. 'Sure, I've experienced many misfortunes, but I still have you.' And that helped me endure."

- The beautiful, beautiful way she tells Hyunwoo why she cannot get surgery if it means losing her memory. Notice how she draws him in a game of remember when. It's their memories that they're talking about and reminiscing. If she got the surgery the strength, the field, him, the memories they all cease. I can't imagine the pain of her knowing that all these memories and experiences would then be only his.

Honeymoon. Field. Trivial info - there was a pub. We drank and argued - intimate detail. Smile - ah I remember you saying that. Passed the field again - a beautiful moon.

"I still remember the smell, the moon and the wind of that day. That's what memories are. Being alive means I cherish those memories and drive strength from them. So those memories define me and my life. And I'll be losing them. This place will just become an ordinary field for me. And you will become a stranger. I'll no longer be myself. That's why I'm not getting the surgery. I've lived as myself and I'll die as such."

[eratoswords]

Honestly, I love The Atypical Family, it's so good! I can't wait to see the next episodes. I think the story, the characters and their dynamics are really interesting and new. The fantastic, comic and dramatic aspects are all balanced and mastered.

I find Da-hae endearing, and her actions become more and more interesting as the episodes progress. She's a character who has her reasons for doing what she did. She acted with honesty during episode 6, and is clearly ready to face the consequences. I can't wait to see how things develop after her confession, especially with Gwi-ju.

Episode 6 set the record straight between them. I get the feeling that Gwi-ju only saw her as being crucial to his power, and his desire to save people. Gwi-ju has put so much pressure on himself since he was a child. For him, his power must have a "purpose", a meaning, which is to save people. This desire to grant a mission to his power has turned into a real complex, an obsession. This obsession has detached him from his loved ones, from his daughter. I have the impression that he has mostly clung to what Da-hae could bring back to his power, and especially to the fact that he would probably save her.

Da-hae’s confession will change things on both sides, and I can’t wait to see that.

[iris-sistibly]

I know I need to calm the fuck down first but one word to describe episode 6: STRESS!!

📍I love seeing Hyun-woo and Hae-in having a...sort of second honeymoon in Germany but I couldn't really enjoy every scene because I'm stressing out at how fucking OBLIVIOUS the Hong family is like bitch y'all are surrounded by snakes and they're so complacent 😭😭😭 I mean it's not really their fault that there are opportunists who'd earn their trust first then slither their way to bite them in the ass, but I just find it ironic at how protective they are at their family business and wealth but they can't see through the REAL people who has every intention to bring them down.

📍Speaking of which, I have read a fan theory somewhere that Mo Seul-hee is the mom of Eun-seong and Da-hye. Could be, OR Grace could be Da-hye's mom considering how Grace acted towards her. But why are they so keen at bringing the Hong family down?

📍Maybe it's just me but I don't think Da-hye is that bad, I have a feeling that she'll eventually come to her senses and take Hyun-woo's side and expose Eun-seong and co.

📍My overthinker/delulu self thinks that Soo-cheol and Da-hye's baby is actually Hyun-woo and Hae-in's kid. I mean, it wasn't shown how they lost their baby...yet. So Hae-in either miscarried, or she gave birth to a still born child? But what if the child is actually alive and one of those evil bitches cooked up some shit to make it seem like Hyun-woo and Hae-in's baby died, and then that baby was registered as Soo-cheol and Da-hye's kid? I know it sounds insane, but we're only on episode 6 so more crazy shit could happen in the future episodes, you'll never know. But my normal self says I've watched too many Filipino dramas growing up (and yes, that shit happens a lot in Filo-dramas).

📍Speaking of that kid, another theory is...what if that kid is actually Eun-seong and Da-hye's? Soo-cheol is a dumbass, and again, those bitches could have manipulated that baby's DNA test result or something. Again, that's just me being an overthinker, also I hate my Filo-drama mindset.

📍Aunt Beom-ja being so concerned about Hae-in and her dad but I also appreciate the fact that she respected her niece's request to not tell anyone about her illness. I also hope that she'll be able to help Hyun-woo clear his name and uncover Seul-hee and gang's dirty little secret.

📍BUT Y'ALL KNOW WHO STRESSED THE SHIT OUT OF ME THIS EPISODE? BAEK FUCKING HYUN-WOO!!! I am so freaking annoyed that he didn't tell Hae-in about the divorce when he had the chance. He was probably worried at how Hae-in would react plus the latter was going through medical treatments so he probably didn't want to put too much stress on her, but Hae-in was bound to find out either way so...yeah I do get why he chose to keep the divorce to himself but he could have just told the truth and suck it up, and perhaps they could communicate better when it comes to issues like this.

📍One thing I noticed about Hyun-woo is that he's brave in so many ways but also a coward on one thing. I mean he talks with Hae-in about nice things and all, and he is his wife's confidante, but I don't think I've ever heard him talk the way Hae-in does, meaning he never had the balls to talk to his wife about the..."unpleasant" side of their marriage. Hae-in was able to talk to him about her illness, the last will and testament that her mom pressured her to write, and Hyun-woo didn't even think about bringing up the divorce papers.

Prior to episode 5, I really thought that Hae-in was the one who shut him out but it was actually the other way around. Wifey may seem cold and nonchalant but if there's one person she'd listen to, it's him. Perhaps he doesn't want to say something that would upset Hae-in but the point is...she's his wife, she's supposed to know what he thinks, how he feels about certain things, even the not-so-pleasant side of their relationship. I really hope that in the next episode or the episode after that he'll be able to communicate better.

📍Hae-in's mom is terrible af. Imagine blaming your own daughter for the death of your son. I mean she didn't deserve to lose a child, but it's unfair to put all the blame on Hae-in (like why?). It's not like she endangered herself on purpose, and she had the audacity to be upset when Hae-in did something nice to her in-laws? Like what is wrong with this woman? Why can't see realize her own mistakes?

📍I kind of teared up when Hae-in was telling Hyun-woo about the things the latter should do when she dies. She could die, and this show might give us a bittersweet ending but when that time comes I'd be really, really hurt. Also, Hae-in confessing that the only reason she wrote her will about Hyun-woo not getting anything should they divorce was so that she'll be allowed to marry him 😭 (just shows she fought hard for him and she'll do absolutely anything to be with him). God I hate her mom! And yes the epilogue was so cute, now we know that they have always been in-love with each other. But I guess...they need a time-out 🤷.

📍Hae-in called Hyun-woo "yeobo" 🥹🥹🥹

[captainjoongki]

The divorce is really not divorcing they keep proving how much they love each other and I think they're saving hae in actually talking and showing her emotions to him until she legit explodes and gives him a romantic speech like this girlie is thinking about how she hasn't said she loved him yet as she's maybe thinks she's literally dying in the preview (although it might be misleading) but when they're talking Hyun woo is still the one who is saying he regrets things and he should've talked to her more and that he would've regretted not marrying her and she's still keeping up the facade and saying things she 100% doesn't mean. You know how we're getting the role reversal here and we usually get those romantic speeches from the cold ceos this is it...

YES YES YES BINGO!!!!!! think about 99% of the kdramas we have seen and then re-contectualize haein and hyunwoo and you will see how beautifully park ji eun (the writer) has dismantled the very foundations of kdramas and gone "okay but WHAT IF". hyunwoo is the classic sacrificial poor female lead and haein is the cold tsundere ceo, and i think that is why the drama has become SO popular, because it's just such a fresh take on a classic story.

if hyunwoo told haein that i will fight for you and your family even if i am not yours, haein in return said okay, but i will jump off a cliff for you without you even knowing. that's their kind of love and who they are, so how can anything or anyone come in between that? once they realize it fully.........i don't think even death could dare to separate them.

i think her exploding scene will be coming up there's this one scene in the trailers where she is sobbing uncontrollably with hyunwoo and i have been waiting AGES for it

[acequinz]

And if I say Eun-seong is nothing but a more pathetic version of his mother.

Like they are both fucking psychos with issues.

Have an obsession with the one they love, for his mother that's Eun-seong and for Eun-seong it's Hae-in.

Their obsession blinds them to what wrongs they do to get the affection they want because in their head the fact that they love the other makes up for it.

"[ insert terrible things they have done] but it's okay cause I did for you out of love."

His mother abandoning him and killing people who hurt him without ever being present and beside him and reassuring him that he's loved while she lived in luxury is okay because she was doing it all to get him all the riches, give him the entire company.

So Eun-seong should be happy with her now, he should stay beside him and appreciate all the work she's put in while throwing away and forgetting the torment he went through as a kid. Because that doesn't matter now that she succeeded and gave him everything she wanted to give right? Right?

Same way Eun-seong digs the ditches for Hae-in and pushes her in them constantly so he could play saviour, if he saved her enough times she would see his love and fall for him right, she had to. So what if that reason she was in that ditch was him? He did it out of love, he did it to keep Hae-in with him, unlike his mother who abandoned him, he will make sure to keep Hae-in by his side - not stay by her side - even if it means breaking her and forcing her to stay, she has to stay with him because he loves her and thinks Hyun-woo doesn't because he doesn't try to keep Hae-in with her -very much ignoring that hyun-woo instead stays beside her than force her to be with him- Hyun-woo who willingly signed the divorce papers, hyun-woo who was preparing the divorce papers (because he truly thought Hae-in didn't love him or want him by her side) but still stayed with Hae-in after, never leaving.

Eun-seong didn't get that. The difference between him wanting to make Hae-in stay with him and Hyun-woo wanting to stay beside Hae-in.

The difference between obsession and in a way devotion.

Eun-seong and his mother love obsessively but their obsessions are slightly different yet so similar.

Both may have different approaches to what they do and how they do but they hold no regrets about it, after all they did it for love.

All is forgiven for love it only makes sense.

The reason Eun-seong feels pathetic compared to his mother is because of how fucking stupid he is.

She loved him sure, she abandoned him while she plotted for what? 20 years.

20 years of hardwork into breaking the family and the old man to get all the rights.

And then there's Eun-seong, fucking crazy, that's all, he's not smart, he's not suave either. He's just pathetic and he's ruining things for his mother.

Because he loves Hong Hae-in.

But obviously Love is not enough.

Even for Hae-in and Hyun-woo love wasn't enough. They need to communicate, meet each other halfway to make it work or they would fall apart, almost did fall apart.

Love is never enough, it's not a term that makes everything right, it's not a feeling that makes everything right either.

Love can hurt and more often than not does hurt because love comes from people and just like people it's not perfect.

But love is not reason enough to stay.

You can't control who you love but you can and should control how you love.

Hyun-woo and Hae-in are still figuring out how to love the other, they always knew how they loved each other's but they just needed to figure out how to love each other. Hopefully Hae-in lives and they are able to sort it out and have a happy ending they deserve.

I am so close to feeling bad for the mom, not because I think she should win or deserves better.

But because she was sooo good at girlbossing this entire thing and the one reason for her downfall would be her idiot son who is a fucking loser and can't get the fucking hint.

She has covered her bases and was so ready for everything except her stupid fucking son ruining her plans.

I wanted her to fall but with Eun-seong fucking up so much... I am surprised she's not going down faster and that's simply because she is still smart and gets shit done. Unlike her own son.

(he's such a good actor though, brings out the anger in me like so easy. Everyone is so good with their acting in the show.)

[world-smitten]

uneasiness is the word for Queen of Tears. This show makes me uneasy. I felt it in the first episodes where a group of men lament having to cook for the Hong's family memorial service (cooking! horror!), I felt it when Soo-cheol opened his big mouth to call Africa barbaric, and I'm still feeling it 6 eps in while Hae-in cavorts around Germany with her lousy husband.

I haven't dropped the show yet because I find it entertaining, and I have no self-discipline. What I like: Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in. The ensemble cast is big and probably expensive, but the money is paying off. They're all individually strong performers, and they work off each other expertly. I like the Hong family, and I like their soon-to-be usurpers. I like how the camera moves - I like how funny the writing can be. I love the soundtrack. Hae-in's fake illness is one of the more compelling fake illnesses in k-dramas. I think everything around her character is sharply drawn, and most of that lies in Kim Ji-won's performance, who knows exactly how to ride that fine line of irony and earnestness. She knows Hae-in is out of touch and vain, and plays those moment with subtle self-riducule, but she also acknowledges that Hae-in is trying, if not necessarily successfully, to be a better person.

Her husband though - lol. Baek Hyun-woo starts out as someone with a degree of responsibility and morality that his in-laws severely lack. Much of the first episodes is playing up his alienation as a decent, modest middle-class lawyer who marries Hae-in, a woman from a vastly rich family, and learns quickly that the companionship and support he thought he'd receive from her isn't there. He decides to get a divorce after he finds out that his wife didn't put him in her will - the last straw, and ultimate proof that she no longer loves him. Fair enough, thought I. Then he finds out his wife is dying. His reaction: stash away the divorce papers and lover her up so bad she'll fall for him again and put him in her will. Okay...interesting! thought I. It was a refreshing turn in his character, having our nice lead be as self-interested and petty as the in-laws he looked down on. And at that point, the writing was vaguely, vaguely aware that he was a prick for it. But it also gave him an out - see, it wasn't really Hyun-woo's idea, but his friend's, whispering in his ear like Lady Macbeth to topple the faithful King Duncan, so y'know, this conniving isn't really Soo-hyun's nature. He's definitely not that kind of guy.

The funny thing is that Hyun-woo's selfishness is the only believable thing about him. Early on, it's hammered in that working for this family is eating up at his sense of justice, but there's no underlying reason or conviction as to why or where he has this sense of justic from. I can believe more that he is a deeply materialistic man, who says the "moral" thing, but ultimatley still cares about status and money and reputation. After all, the moral compromises he regretted making for his in-laws no longer mattered when he was busy chasing Hae-in's bag lol. And like his ethics, his love for Hae-in feels similarly hollow - when he starts to see her through sun-lit filters and flares with ballads in the back, it all reads like artifice attempting to simulate a sincere falling-back-in-love, and I don't buy it. I don't believe that he's a good man, and I don't believe that he loves Hae-in. I cannot believe that people were harassing Kim Sae-ron, a real woman with a real connection to Kim Soo-hyun, over this pairing. Stand up.

In fact, this show is a lot like Hyun-woo - hollow, saying the "right" things re: wealth, but meaning nothing. The villains are grasping class upstarts. The chaebol family are so dysfunctional and bumbling that they become like children, pitiable and endearing. There's a show in here that's brilliant, and I keep seeing flashes of it because I've seen it in other brilliant shows. An upwardly mobile lawyer marries into a conglomerate, and their corruption chews him up and spits him out - Stranger. A chaebol family whose stupidity and pettiness is genuinely disturbing and suffocating - Secret Love Affair. And if you want to ogle and jeer at rich people, then Mine is as indulgent, as excessive, as voyeuristic (bordering on exploitative) as QOT while still having a moral spine. Of course, those shows had very different writers, different aims and tonal registers to Queen of Tears, which is first and foremost a brassy, sweeping crowdpleaser. But QOT wants us to take it seriously - it wants us to at least believe in the romance that it's selling. And well...I don't know if I can manage that. Personally, I'd have cut Hyun-woo out all together, make Eun-sung/Hae-in and Soo-cheol/Da-hye the main pairings (while keeping Eun-sung and Da-hye as two-faced as they already are), and have the messiness of the plot spill out from that.

I think this is all a sign to watch My Liberation Notes again.

[unknowablea]

i feel like people often forget that we, the viewers, know about everything but the characters have limited information?

the hospital only knows the (yes, doting<3) husband of a patient was arrested by the interpol in the hospital, literally dragged away screaming (in korean, we have subtitle they don't), and that some other guy showed up claiming to know her

this is a high risk patient, subject of an experimental treatment, she has no family in the country, they probably have no way to contact the hongs

eun seong plays the worried (boy?)friend, he is korean, he has some photos to prove they know each other, he was just so scared when hae in traveled with her (ex?)husband who was accused of murder, he just had to help her

i mean, i don't know about you all, but i don't know what was the latest scandal in corporate korea and i'm guessing the average german hospital staff doesn't either but even if they searched they'd find the news accusing hyun woo of murder and yeah, about eun seong threatening them but i feel like one outweighs the other in this situation. plus, with her case, hae in wasn't in her best mentally so from an outside point of view (and with some sweet words from eun seong) it could've looked like she had been manipulated into saying those things about eun seong

see, i'm not defending eun seong, i despise him too, but just because he is stupid for the way he is still trying to win hae in even after she said no so many times (and how much i've enjoyed each one of them), doesn't mean he isn't smart about other things and that the plot is horrible

[bengiyo]

The Eighth Sense Eps 3 & 4 Stray Thoughts

Last time, we all lost our minds at the inherent queerness of this show, and how distinct it feels in the world of BL. We met Ji Hyun, a new resident of Seoul from the countryside who recently started school, and Jae Won, a senior returning from military service and son of a wealthy family. Ji Hyun is struggling with city life, and Jae Won is struggling with everyone's expectations of him. These two met and felt instantly drawn to each other, and are now engaged in intricate rituals in the surfing club. We left them on the beach before what felt like a kiss.

Episode 3

Okay so it was a kiss! That was not tentative at all.

Oh, I'm not a fan of pressuring new members to binge drink. Relieved others are pushing back, but still it's gross.

Why is Ji Hyun being brave about the drink? Is it to distract himself from the kiss and abrupt separation? Is it to end the tension of the moment and save the girls? Is he getting drunk enough to be taken care of by Jae Won?

This dude is so annoying every time he gets drunk. Tae Hyung definitely wants to fuck Jae Won, and it's embarrassing.

Ah, of course Jae Won has built up a history of getting drunk and kissing people. He needed to build that mask.

Hey, that was a beautiful shot of the beach.

Not a fan of Ji Hyun potentially going out into the water alone, but it is intriguing that he tried to suit up on his own in maybe the wrong size. He's not comfortable anymore.

Oh, Jae Won. You can't just ignore the boy like this. This is also unfortunately familiar.

I have questions about the person running a bar in Korea that can't understand enough Korean to take orders.

I get Jae Won feeling more comfortable with Yoon Won after all this time because she feels grounded.

Jae Won, you can't smile fondly at his art after ignoring him!

Damn, the freshmen just casually clocking Yoon Won as a lesbian.

There's a lot of drinking in this show.

I don't think the roommate's assessment is totally off. If Jae Won is signalling that he doesn't want to interact with Ji Hyun anymore, it's probably best to just let it go. Does beg whether Ji Hyun knows he's queer.

If Ji Hyun doesn't want this girl to attach to him too much, it would be ideal to introduce her to the definitely straight friend.

I like Joon Pyo.

Oh, I like experiencing the therapy session through the distorted reflection

I love the bar owner. Ji Hyun definitely needs encouragement.

Here Jae Won goes with the meaningful looks again. Not sure how I want to read them having an interaction right after a therapy session.

I liked this episode. I like Ji Hyun taking his angst and confusion in stride. I also like how many people encourage him.

Episode 4

Gosh, seeing these two recognize that there's something special about just being near each other in silence is just...wow.

Wonder what changed for Hae? Is it because it's night time. Don't send me back to my beauty in the dark phase.

I like Jae Won learning how to draw. It's really sweet to see them learning the other's passion. We also get to see Ji Hyun smile and laugh.

"Do you want to eat ramen with me?" *I understood that reference.*

Again the tension between these two when Jae Won adjusts Ji Hyun's bag. These two are delivering.

I love Ji Hyun's briefcase. I hope there isn't a plot point involving it going missing.

I'm obsessed with Ae Ri. She looked at Jae Won and Ji Hyun and was like, "Ah, gays," and immediately covered for Ji Hyun. Then, she goes on to show Ji Hyun how obvious things appear, and to keep his wits about him, before making clear she does not desire him. I hope she gets everything she wants.

Here these dudes go again meddling in Jae Won's affairs with Eun Ji.

If Eun Ji does something cruel to these boys because she saw them bonding in the stacks....

I'm not a therapist, nor have I been in much therapy, but it feels like Jae Won can be honest with his.

Here Eun Ji goes being mean to Ji Hyun.

Oh my goodness. That was a low-key read. "I didn't say you broke it intentionally. But if you broke it, is it that hard to apologize to the person fixing it?" She doesn't know why this girl is bullying Ji Hyun, but she is not going to let it slide.

A pinky brush into hand holding? We stay winning.

"A beer in your dorm room. Aren't we moving too fast?" Sir, you kissed and then avoided him!

I no longer like Joon Pyo. We had everything. A hand on a leg, a secret romantic desire expressed, and a lean in for a kiss. Then he runs in to spoil the moment!

I'm really glad they give us two episodes a week. I'd have been really frustrated to only get episode 3 with Jae Won avoiding him only to end on the subway would have been annoying. Instead we're seeing this support network grow around Ji Hyun and the obvious relationship blossoming between these two. I'm curious to learn about this secret desire Jae Won is afraid to voice.

[dllamarama]

Episode 4 Queen of Tears BaekHong recap

Scene: A glimpse of 1031

When Hae In kissed him and he looked at her phone’s screen, in the end did he close his eyes and just kiss? Or only for that second of realising he is dead when the screen locked. The scene cuts too fast to the next one and I can’t figure it out. Hyun Woo finds out her phone’s passcode and it was 1031. After he retreats to his bedroom, we were brought to his memory of their pregnancy news early in their marriage. They both looked so happy anticipating their unborn child with Hyun Woo shedding happy tears while Hae In looking more reserved in showing her emotion. They were excited with the news and already planning to give the best to the child with Hyun Woo sticking the glow in the dark smiley star on their baby’s nursery. But, they didn’t have a child and we speculate that they probably had a miscarriage. Nothing explained yet until the revelation in episode 5. But Hyun Woo’s sorrow was very much obvious when he stared at the sticker on the bedroom’s ceiling.

Scene: Pretty Hae In and Giddy Hyun Woo (jealousy reincarnate)

The morning comes and Hyun Woo is obviously affected by last night's event. Considering how slow he is to understand his feelings and Hae In, he was probably only able to process last night’s event when the morning came. Now, he doesn’t understand why Hae In looks pretty and was even more delighted after Hae In compliments that he looked handsome in his suit. We got to see a love-stricken Hyun Woo for a glimpse when he saw her smile. Something changes inside him and he is denying it with every cell in his body but he is just making excuses now, just to refute Yang Gi’s point. I mean his reflex is complimenting Hae In still pretty even if she didn’t wear high heels and he didn’t even realise that (I don’t know how many times I have used the words “realised” for Hyun Woo, he is so slowwwww). Like how dare you to just throw a compliment without batting an eyelash. And why are you making excuses and explaining Hae In’s behaviour to your secretary? Just admit it or just stfu. The only person that needed it is you, Hyun Woo.

Scene: Tipsy Hyun Woo with peanut bread

Hyun Woo picking up peanut bread for Hae In just peak marriage couple thing, buying random stuff for his wife after having a drink. Bro, it’s too obvious and you denying it is just plain idiot at this point. He was ahead of himself when Yang Gi assumed that the good news Hae In wanted to tell him is regarding the inheritance. So, imagine his despair when he found out that Hae In chance of surviving her cancer exceeded 50%. His imagination just runs wild and he dies a little bit inside thinking to survive 5o more years of marriage with Hong Hae In.

Scene: Hyun Woo to the rescue part 4

Hae In was not feeling well on her way home and has to be confronted by her mother (I really hate this mother), just to complaint that Hae In is causing YES (I just fed up to spell his name) not considering to invest in Soo Cheol’s project. Mommy is just plain annoying and evil, she didn’t even notice that Hae In is already pale and struggle to even stand there. Hae In almost fainted when Hyun Woo enter their house at the perfect timing. Nice save, Hyun Woo. Before he found out about Hae In’s illness, he never man up in front of her family but this is already the second time he defends her in front of her family. He probably thinks that Hae In doesn’t need any help from him previously to fight against her family, but seeing her vulnerable side after her falling sick only makes him see things differently. He never thought that Hae In would ever need him to fight her battle as she was already a strong and independent woman. He probably thought that she was not the same Hae In that needed his protection in the past. But now that he saw past that façade, the good ol’ Hyun Woo will make a comeback. He finally knew the real reason behind Hae In hiding her illness from her family. This also serves as a turning point for Hyun Woo regarding Hae In’s illness and death. He already had the guilt expression all over his face.

Scene: Queen Hae In in Yongduri

Hyun Woo started to worry when no one knew Hae In’s whereabouts. He only found her after it was already dark and he was tired, worried and frustrated. While Hae In felt lost and scared, she refused to show it to Hyun Woo. She probably felt that she needs to be seen as someone who is totally in control of her own body and illness, but sadly it’s not and while she knew that she refused to admit it even to Hyun Woo. She refused to be treated as a patient because admitting it also means that she acknowledges the gravity of her illness. But her walls broke down when she realised that Hyun Woo took so long to find her. The details of his sweat over his blazer and white shirt (I was deeply impressed with the details of direction of this particular scene, it makes so much sense why the lamps light up at Hyun Woo’s retreated steps) make her regret the words that she said to him. To the man who was worried about her, he deserves honesty and the truth behind her disappearance.

This scene also served as a revelation to Hyun Woo, the husband who was thankful that his wife would die in three months. The revelation that her illness is not something that should be celebrated and what kind of trash he had been. This is also the first time that he saw Hae In’s dishevelled appearance; the woman who was always in control of everything is not invincible anymore. She needs care and protection; his heart probably sank when he saw her appearance, trembling hands and her tears. The hug… I gasped when he hugged her.

Summary:

I remembered the first time I watched this series and realised that the MP3 was Hae In’s all along. That is just too cliché but still cute and we still loved it anyway. Fated lovers have been used by k-drama so much that sometimes I wish they could just stop doing it. But till the last episode, this drama's main focus was a miraculous love story, of luck and fated lovers that are born truly for each other. Those three are the key points that they are trying to sell to the viewers. They were born to love each other till their last breath.

[i-bring-crack]

What are your headcannons about solo leveling characters?

Damn I have too many! Will probably condense it or just make it a series at one point, maybe after the anime and the game drops so I have ALL the info MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA—

Anyways:

And sorry for the late post.

Sung Jin-Woo

He always like to play games, referenced by the fact that he would often go to game cafes with his sister and even in the next timeline he would do those kinds of things too.

Pretty sure he also like to speed run things rather than focus on the lore of the game, so maybe he like first person shooter games or arcade like games.

He loves to cook because it takes his mind off the hunting job.

Cooking was probably one of the only hobbies he had after his mother fell to the eternal slumber.

He tended to work 3 kinds of jobs before he reawakened (in the game's dossiers he said he worked for a moving company of sorts, and also other kinds of part time jobs, so this is like half head half canon)

In the dossiers he also seemed to have a vision of his dad. I like to think that the moment his father met the Rulers, he asked them to give them some of their powers to let his son be awakened and be strong enough to pull himself through what ever crisis they be going through.

That or maybe Il Hwan actually had the power of a ruler to the point where he could grant an awakening to others.

I like to think he always cuddled with his sister after he finished each raid, like just to make him feel safe and happy to have come back alive.

He likely also had a huge fight with Jin-Ah before going to his first raid, it was so bad that he couldn't even focus as much on the raid at all and it's the main reason why he got lost in the first gate he entered.

He can't love other people past the ones he already knew in the other timeline and had gotten close to him.

I think that time when they really destroyed his human heart, they also might have literally destroyed his human side as well.

He does still love people, but I don't think he might be capable of finding more love than the one he already has.

Which is why Jin-Woo decided to keep Hae-In as his wife since it was the only romantic love of his past life.

And his closest friend like Yoo Jin-Ho is the one he decided to bring into the family since he couldn't really feel capable of letting other people inside his circle of love.

Others like Woo Jin-Chul and Lee Ju-Hee were probably still on his mind but he didn't try to get them close, which probably meant the Ashborn inside of him didn't know whenever Jin-Woo really loved them enough to integrate them into his family or just let them go.

Which is why he also didn't push Woo Jin-Chul out when he recalled all of his memories.

Like I really love to think about the implication that Human Jin-Woo no longer exists, just Ashborn with the memories of Jin-Woo and vice-versa.

Yet due to the constant battle in the dimensions I think the human side has faded almost completely and now Jin-Woo is empty of what he once used to feel.

(Also, did you know that the whole 'Jin-Woo slowly looses emotions' was actually a manwha only adaptation? Yeah I didn't expect that shit to come at me while I was looking back at the light novel)

E rank Jin-Woo was likely also jacked. I mean we see it in the side stories with Antares, but I didn't think it was THAT kind of jacked, rather more of a has a good physique but it doesn't show as much.

He taught Suho how to draw

He is probably a horrible artist (meanwhile his son is getting an art degree lmao)

(Another fun fact: Chu-gong creator of the Solo Leveling light novel actually has the same degree as Suho)

He likes scifi shows and movies, especially horror scifi.

Cha Hae-In

She likes to jump a lot, when she is happy she tends to jump her feet up a little.

She doesnt like to stay in one place and tends to move around.

She probably has like one extroverted friend in her track and field club that lets her feel at home in the club.

She is horrible at baking and not a picky person at all

There was at one point were i did think she was probably an orphan, which i do have a lot of headcanons about that idea too. I mean it probably came from the fact that we know nothing about her family, like not even the tiniest bits of her taste too, what she likes what she doesnt. And she is like one of the most important characters 😭🤌. I mean she doesnt have to be an entire wikipedia but like, at least something girl.

So I tended to think she was an orphan or homeless for a lot of the time. And this will get even more farstreched as i got a bit more into ~fanon~ headcanon. I wont put itnall but you know, just some bits

She did have parents at one point but her mother left, meanwhile her father almost never appeared in her life, she couldnt even their faces at times.

When there was a loud crash at her home she would often hide and wish she could run away from things, or at least fight back. (Got that headcanon due to the CJI dossiers saying that their powers come from their greatest fears)

She one day looked for a way to escape and just, ran.

It made her feel alive and as though she finally got a fresh breath of air. Now everytime after school she ran as far as she could and came back late in the night so that she wouldnt have to deal with anything at the orphanage or with her new, again, foster parents.

Then there was a time she got caught running on video, and it eventually went viral. Since the orphanage didnt want to deal with her escapes anymore, they put her on a new school to compete with the other athletes.

The training was horrible but she managed and eventually she wanted to be better than everyone else. The fact that for once she felt free from everything as she ran made her more emotions and adrenaline ghan everything in the world. So she kept running and running until one day she was unable.

At school it was hard for her to have friends since either they wanted fame or she never actually felt any connections with any of them, she couldnt even understand most of their problems at face value, it made her field so lonely for years that she rather decided to focus on her studies.

I wouldnt guess she would be bullied, but more of just ignored, completely.

Once she started to recuperate she wanted to go back to running but she couldnt win from before.

This is pre rewind so most of her life felt lonely, post rewind she definetly had her first friend and a better life (cough JinWoo) but pre rewind it felt like she had nothing and stuck herself to almost never talking. Maybe she would have a friend or two but she also moved schools due to the foster parents not liking a kid that ran away, literally, everytime she had problem or a fight.

Um sadness aside

She likes candy and ice cream

She hates bad smells due to her good sense of smell.

She also doesnt like strong perfume scents.

Hae-In grew up to me more matured mentally due to all the things in her life, but she still kept her moral compass as much as she could, mostly because she didnt want to deal with more problems in her life.

She likes bigger clothing, big sweaters, kimono pants, especially those who have big pockets.

Her ringtone is a cute pop song (like Omae Wa Mou(deadman), Dandelions(Ruth B) or Crush(tessa violet) lmao idk why i have this headcanon

She accidentaly cut her hair too short one time and decided to just go with short hair so that no one would notice.

Imma stop or she is gonna go through an angst arc bc of me

Woo Jin-Chul

He doesnt like coffee at all lmao, not even energy drinks, but he deals with the taste bc there isnt a lot of good drinks out there that can getvhis energy up in the mornings.

He has a sweet tooth too. And a spicy (tooth?) Taste bc his mother always did kimchi since he was young.

He likes thriller movies ever since he was young, he also liked to dig himself in data about crimes and murders.

His mother was a huge part of his life, the father somewhat too but his mother often took a big role in his moral compass and the way he looked back at things.

His father was a police officer.

He had a good life, the best from all of them, all things considered.

His innocence though... well he had been exposed to a lot of crime and violence since he liked to watch the news (his Tv didnt have a lot for him to watch and he didnt have any devices growing up bc his mother thought it was a bad idea to get him one so young)

(She was right, this man is now twice as workaholic)

He likes coffee shops due to the aroma and the sense of relaxation.

The people at the nearest cafe to the asossiation know his name.

He tends to be really strict with others but at the same time do other people's work.

Post rewind he had a diary of all the Evans that happened in the story, and I mean ALL the events from the start of the monarchs to Jin-Woo's eventually saving the earth.

He likely was always making theories and trying to find out more about this vague world due to all the information Jin-Woo gave him.

I think he would also like to invent some materials in the mean time. Those that use magic crystals or other kinds of magic to enhance people's lives or amplify their power

Lee Ju-Hee

Girl has a good memory of literally everyone she comes across

Ju-Hee would often confuse Jin-Woo because of her Busan dialect

Ju-Hee wasn't scared of the blood itself, she was actually quite fine seeing those kinds of thing.

What she was scared about was dying In a brutal way.

She would often step back and let the others handle on raids

Her fears kindo of passed away every time she was with E rank Jin-Woo, since if he could survive so many harsh things so could her

She didn't like him at first too but I think she then became his first and only friend throughout those four years of his life.

She liked to exchange things about her family but the other didn't say anything.

Yoo Jin-Ho

He hated being called a chaebol, kinda like a silver spoon child in our lingo, nepo baby, stuff like that so he often tried to hide his wealth

But at the same time it was very obvious.

And he suffered a bit of lack of friendship because of that.

He tried to get friends and they would all try to get him for his money or his fame

It was hard, he really just wanted simple things in life.

He even got his driver's license, some part time jobs and went to public schools because he wanted to experience a more casual life.

Since I think he would have felt really lonely inside his home where his father praised his two oldest sons but not him as much.

Sung Jin-Ah

Jin Ah is very greedy when it comes to everything honestly.

If she wants it, she would likely get it, but not out of someone's help rather her own accord.

For example she would have an interest focus on video games because she wanted to beat her brother all the time in the cafes.

And she would have an intense focus on medicine because she wanted to give her mother a chance to come back again

I think she even studied a lot of magic apart from medicine due to the new gates coming out of nowhere

Once her mother woke up she didn't stop though but she did go back to playing video games

And she noticed a few patterns withing those things that kinda looked the same as the monsters that invaded this world.

But she couldn't tell anything about that because all the sudden she lost all of her memories.

Although post rewind it would have been fun to see Jin Ah studying up on the lore of the monsters and making new medicine from the medical and magic knowledge beforehand.

Oh she is absolutely a fan of Kpop bands.

She has a poster of them. That's canon.

Choi Jong-In

He was once saved from a burning building by Yoon Ho, thus exposing him to his first gay panic when Yoon Ho introduced himself.

He likes spicy foods and warm meals

Yes even in summer

He has a very bad distance vision which is why he always tries to wear glasses even when he is fighting.

He doesn't like eating too much (part of childhood I will not explain now)

He likes to eat some lolipops to deal with his smoking addiction.

He had a white tiguer plush animal that he was fond of during his childhood, it was destroyed in a fire when he turned 15.

He wanted to make Hae-In fit in with the rest of the hunters so he gave her a modified handkerchief that covered the smell of mana.

He often learned how to sew because Hae-In was really reckless with her suit at first.

He and Hae-In have a lot of disputes of the money spent on the guild because Hae-In thinks the way he pays S ranks is too much whereas he thinks it's only acceptable to get this much due to their work.

He won't admit it but He sees Hae-In as a little sister. He will even look out for her image and stop a lot of rumors going around. Although Hae-In is too embarrassed and says he wants him to stop.

He still goes on to validate her efforts in the guild and everyone that he works under.

He absolutely has a side shift on inventing gigs to help enhance the powers of a person

You see those headgear Hae-In has? He invented it to attract more beasts to her surroundings.

He made some modified rings for him to enhance his fire resistance too.

Baek Yoon-Ho

He bought one ring from the White Tiguer guild, and never let go of it. No one noticed that since he always had a lot of handy rings on him.

Bro is allergic to dogs.

The first person to have laughed in his face in his tiguer form was Jong-In.

He often had a lot of help from Jong-In to establish his own guild, he always thought it was because at that time Hunter's and Reapers were in a battle of whose more powerful.

Thomas Andre

He had a lot of panics over trying to appear like a normal person that he tried to hide most of his emotions in case one of them would turn him into a monster

Pre rewind, IL Hwang had stood out in his life, he alway kept his words of encouragement with him.

He started to get a better public light after he helped rescue all of the inhabitants into Jeju before the ants tried to kill them all.

He and Eunsuk, the S rank that died in the third jeju raid, were the best of friends. He was a happy go lucky guy that also gave Yoon Ho a lot of encouragement in being a cool white tiguer who saves people!

He also had a really strong sense of Justice which is why he didn't retreat in the third raid and began to save the rest until at the end he was eaten in front of Byung-Gyu and Yoon Ho

It solidified Yoon Ho that he must never get attached to a lot of the hunters, even the S ranks. He was fine with being friends with Byung-Gyu bc he was willing to retire, but not the rest.

He started to also create a huge distance with Jong-In because of that. Jong-In didn't know why he suddenly started to act out that way which is what led to their constant fighting and bickering.

He is soft to a lot of things.

He likes puppies and kitties and gives the strays a lot of food. You can find the guildmaster just feeding kittens and dogs outside of the guild's building.

Jong-In has some blackmail material of him.

Liu Zhigang

He was born somewhere in the western region of Europe, but his family immigrated to Florida which is why he doesn't have a lot of those European traits on him.

His parents were very religious but his mother was lax about it, like she didn't care when he turned atheist.

He met Laura when they were teens.

Laura was his first friend when she brided him that she will help him with his school work and in turn she will be safe from bullying all toguether.

Thomas had a love for wrestling and sports.

Thomas liked to go fishing and often dragged Laura to those trips, as well as camping, hiking and skiing in Colorado one time.

Thomas has a collection of racing cars

Thomas goes every weekend to Norma's house to eat her cookies.

He sent a small gift (expensive and huge by everyone else's standards) to Lennart after finding out he had saved him.

Has a little sister that escaped from North Korea, she too became an S rank and is the viceguildmaster of Zhigang's guild

He tries everything to maintain his hair as long as possible.

And as pretty as possible

He was an wuxia actor before he got his awakening

He likes historical dramas

He likes to fight with a double pair of blades

He has a gigantification skill.

Shadows

Beru has a Netflix account and watches dramas with Jin Ah and post rewind with Hae In

Igris tends to haunt the libraries just to read the books in them

Igris likes math and science

Beru likes to play with the sand and make burrows for himself when he was still young and alive.

Igris was very hardworking kid when he was alive

Igris liked angels a lot and had a lot of fascination with Bellion when he got to meet him.

Kaisel cuddles Tank when it gets too warm

Kaisel is female you can't take this from me.

Kaisel acts like a huge puppy.

Bellion has sensible wings

Bellion likes to eat cookies, why? Idk.

[myechoecho]

I love that he's her first love and I also screamed when she said she'll come pick him up as an angel meaning she's the person who loves him the most. She really does love him very much but I think her upbringing has left her so foreign to what an actual loving relationship between two people is, HW is her family and all her family does us treat eo like sh*t, so what if they do the same to him? What if she does the same to him? He's her family and they'll always be together. She knows that's not how relationships work she knows that she treated him badly because how could she not? She just thinks it's normal but she's a grown woman and needs to reflect on her actions and understand that his wanting a divorce with how he was treated is valid, he's already apologized multiple times for multiple things but we've never heard her say I'm sorry and I'm hoping that's deliberate on the writer's part and we actually get to see HW express his emotions regarding the abuse her family has put him through and even how coldly she acted and for her to take responsibility for her part in all of it.

I don't believe Hae In has a lack of accountability for her role in everything. Hae In should apologize for her role in things. She's already started to make amends and I think she will get there.

Yes, for sure her family has warped her idea of relationship. But I think some part of her understands that it's not normal. Before Hae In and Hyun Woo's relationship fell apart, it seemed fairly healthy though there was still a lack of communication.

They treated each other poorly, and my suspicion is that Hae In has actually protected Hyun Woo from the absolute worst of her family's treatmetn. I could be wrong on that, but it's my feeling. Keep in mind, the psycho squad has pointed out that Hae In always listens to Hyun Woo. It's clear she values his judgement regardless of the distance between them.

Their problems have really always stemmed from a lack of communication and not understanding what the other needs in terms of love. Hae In dropping her walls, and Hyun Woo really listening to her and BOTH of them telling the other how they feel has already started to change their relationship. We've seen that unbeknownst to the other they have supported one another.

I know Hae In is surprised by the divorce papers. But we really haven't seen the fallout from it yet. Personally, I don't think it will be as big a deal as they are making it out to be but again. She might need time to assess, given all the emotional turmoil she's in.

Both of them are at fault for their marriage breaking down. Both of them need to take responsibility and admit their part. While Hyun Woo has apologized, but not really for his actions that contributed to their breakdown (as far as I remember).

[iamknicole]

Baby Shower

Ten weeks flew by in a blur for everyone except Haleigh. She was so anxious and ready for her due date, she barely gave the baby shower a second thought. The only thing that excited her about it was that it meant she was that much closer to her due date.

Getting to the venue, Ardian helped her out of his SUV and pushed her hair from her face. She couldn't help but giggle at the excited look on his face. He was honestly more excited than she thought he would be especially since Roman and Rezar made it clear that they would be putting together all the furniture later that night.

"Excited?"

He nodded, grabbing her hand. "Yup. I got really good food at your gender reveal."

"Really?" She laughed. "Not for baby boy but for the food."

"I'm excited for him cause he get to eat good food too. Me and my best friend gon have a good day."

Haleigh waddled beside him, shaking her head.

When they got inside, Tia approached them with pins and pointed them to their chests. She ignored Ardian's protests about his pin, silencing him with a quick look.

"I'm gonna steal Mommy for a few minutes. Come on, Hae." Tia pulled Haleigh's hand away from Ardian and stared to gently pull her away.

"Wait," Ardian called out. He leaned over to talk to Haleigh's belly. "Don't kick Mommy too hard cause you think I left. I'm still here, best friend."

Tia chuckled. "But you ain't wanna put the pin on. Uhuh."

When they walked away, Ardian spotted them men in his family with the men in Haleigh's family. He went over to them to avoid getting hit later for not speaking. Rezar snorted seeing the pin and the other men laughed.

"See? Told you that's yo son," Eli joked slapping hands with him. "Glad to see you coming around to the truth."

Ardian laughed. "He just my lil best friend."

"Even I don't hold onto a lie this long." Tyrell joked slapping hands with his nephew.

"You barely let them outta your sight and when you not with them you texting and calling to check up on em. I had to make her let me take her to the store the other day." Jimmy said as he squeezed Ardian shoulders.

Jey nodded, agreeing with his brother. "Right, she kept telling me uhn uhn, Unc, Ardi gon take us. Had to put my foot down just to see her."

Roman and Rezar laughed listening to the men go on and Ardian blush. While they were talking, Haleigh was being interrogated by her sister in law and cousin in laws. They listened to her with smirks on their faces.

"Just friends? In what world?" Aunni laughed.

"They must have changed the meaning of friends." Nola joked.

Haleigh rubbed her belly, trying and failing not to laugh. "Talk been talking to Nicey and Morgan or something? Starting to sound like them."

"We actually hadn't yet," Tia admitted, "Only our mother in laws."

Haleigh rolled her eyes playfully. "Of course it was them. Me and him are just friends."

Nola rubbed Haleigh's back then her belly and spoke softly. "We know you're still a little shell shocked from the bitch boy so you're hesitant. And you don't wanna rush into anything while you're still carrying my nephew. But you can't keep running from your feelings, I know once he gets here neither of you will be able to or want to."

Aunni, Haleigh and Tia stared at Nola without saying a word making her chuckle.

"What?"

"I know it's bad if you're talking softly and being nice." Haleigh half-heartedly joked.

"That's right so you better listen cause that doesn't happen often."

The older women were making sure the food and treat tables were set up how they wanted and talked amongst themselves. Kandice and Tasha introduced their family to one another before the shower started.

"Guess you're a grandma too now," Apryl joked.

Kandice pinched her cousin. "Didn't I tell you not to call me that. I'm sure Tasha held the same way."

"And I do," Tasha nodded, "I am not a grandma."

Apryl laughed at the faces they made. "Grandma, Mama, Nana, GiGi ... either way yall got a grabdbaby coming."

"And don't be like your child and deny it." Monique added.

"Kandice, I say we don't invite these heffas when Hae has the baby for getting on our nerves."

"I think that's a great idea," Kandice answered.

Games were played, activities were done and now everyone was sitting around talking and eating. Haleigh sat at the table she shared with Ardian, waiting for him to bring their food to the table. In his absence, Roman slid into his seat, nudging his babygirl's shoulder playfully making her smile.

"Hey, Daddy."

"What's going on, Princess? How are you and my lil guy?"

"We're good, he pretty calm." She responded leaning against him. "What about you?"

He nodded, taking a look around the room. "I'm actually pretty good. You and lil guy have a lot of love in this from. I know at the beginning you were worried about how it would go without that boy but look at where we are now. He left to make room for someone even better."

She nodded listening to him.

"I know that boy tried to fuck up how you view men and relationships and trust but Ardian is changing your mind. Am I right?" He asked looking over at her.

"He is, Daddy."

"And I know it's scary but it's good for you and lil guy. Whatever your choice, you know Daddy's always her, Princess."

She smiled. "I know, Daddy."

"Good," he murmured kissing her head. "I hear he's gonna be in the delivery room with you."

"He is. He asked and I had been thinking about it so I was glad he did. You think I'm doing the right thing?"

"Doesn't matter what I think, Princess. But yes, I do."

"Thank you, Daddy. For everything."

"Don't have to thank me." He paused to look around once again. "Picked a name yet?"

"Yup," she answered proudly.

He chuckled. "Gonna share?"

"Nope! Everyone including Ardian finds out when he's born, Daddy."

Roman huffed playfully and kissed her head again before getting up. He helped Ardian out the plates on the table then slapped his back softly as he passed him. Making sure the two of them were occupied, Roman went to Rezar speaking softly.

"Step outside with us, real quick, big man."

Rezar nodded. "Everything okay?"

"My nephew wanted to show me and my cousins some texts he got. We may or may not need to make a trip later. We can leave Ardian out of it for now, Princess isn't gonna let him outta her sight right now."

"Sounds good," he smirked. "I'm gonna grab my brother in laws."

"Alright, meet yall outside."

Roman left Rezar, kissing his wife’s cheek as he passed her then went to his son. He squeezed his shoulder as he passed him, inconspicuously nodding towards the door. Catching the hint, Koda made eye contact with Eli and Milo and looked at the door.

[manawari]

Florist!Jin-woo

The sunlight glazed through the clear glass, caressing on the array of fresh flowers awaiting for the daylight. Jin-woo pulled the string down to adjust the curtains and spread more daylight across the store. The wooden floor shimmered in bronze as they lit up the entire place in its warm, tranquil glory. A fresh aroma flushed to the ceiling, courtesy of the beautiful flowers accumulated in various vases.

Jin-woo grew up with flowers. His mother had been taking care of her plants as much as she took care of him as a baby. Thus, developing his affinity for flowers. She taught him everything she knew and Jin-woo carried them by heart. He learned and memorized each flower, as well as their meaning.

The flower shop had been the source of the family's leisure life. While his father worked as a firefighter, his mother was in charge of selling the best flowers ever to offer in Seoul. They lived a floor above the store as it would be the easiest access instead of going from one place to another. Jin-woo had earned his college degree thanks to the business and his sister had been doing well at her studies.

He loved it. He loved opening up the store and greeting the sun to do its job. He cherished every moment of helping around the shop and serving the customers the most suitable flower to take home.

. . . And maybe along with that girl.

Jin-woo had lost count of the amount of times he saw her halt over the flowers in the outside of the shop, checking and being in awe with them while touching the petals with her fingertips. And yet, she never bought one. It was visible on how much she adored them, which was a wonder every morning.

"Jin-woo!" A voice called for him. It was his mother. "Are you done staring at the young lady? Here, hand these flowers to her. They had just bloomed, so I can guarantee that she will like them."

"Who? Me?" Jin-woo blinked in surprise.

Kyung-hye clicked her tongue in disapproval and shoved the paper bag into his hands. "I did not tell that to a ghost, did I? Go. And say hi to the lady!"

Jin-woo sighed and made his way to the outside of the shop. His heart raced upon moving his gaze to the girl. This was his first time to be approaching her. Swallowing, he walked closer and said;

"These are for you."

She instantly met his eyes. Warm dark eyes and her blonde locks nuzzling her cheeks after the smooth wave of the wind. "For me?"

"My. . . My mother handed them to me and said I should give these to you." Jin-woo replied.

"But I wasn't intending on buying anything." She said, her cheeks flushing.

Her response pulled a chuckle from his mouth. Jin-woo extended his hand. "Call it as a freebie. You seem to like flowers a lot." He glanced at the pink petals. "And they're pink hyacinths — they symbolize positive things."

She let out a smile. "You seem to know a lot about flowers. And— alright, I'll take them."

"I'm Jin-woo." He blurted out.

She glanced up and flashed him a bright smile. "Hae-in."

It earned him a smile. After some time of just seeing her outside, he finally got her name. Hae-in. . . It sounded like a flower unraveling its petals in the first touch of sunlight.

Her short visits never stopped after they had exchanged names. And the routine remained the same. Jin-woo would open up the curtains and a minute later, he could see her stopping by to admire the flowers on display, but this time, she'd meet his gaze and wave her hand. He would wave back in return.

His mother continued to push him into giving flowers to Hae-in at least once a week. And if course, Jin-woo had no choice but to follow his mother's order, but on the bright side, he'd get to talk to her before she leaves.

Except for this time. . .

As Jin-woo arranged the flowers in the outside, making sure they were all receiving the sun, he noticed Hae-in was not here yet. She would usually arrive at this time in the morning. Not that he was worried. . . He was just used to seeing her face and ever since he had begun to know her, seeing her in the morning was one of his routines.

He pushed the door open and something from the corner of his eye made him stop his steps. It was Hae-in, but she was with a guy. Tall, thin, and wore a red and black suit that matched his red hair, along with a pair of glasses. She was laughing as the man spoke something to her.

Jin-woo shook his head and got inside. He grabbed the clipboard and scrolled through the list of banquets to make. It was Jin-ah who usually made them, but he was in charge of gathering the flowers. So, he took a piece of newspaper and laid it on the table before he walked around the shop to gather the flowers the first client had chosen.

He heard the door open. It must be his sister who had gotten home from school. But instead, it was none other than Hae-in.

"Jin-woo." She smiled.

He instinctively smiled back. "Hey."

"Are you busy?"

"Not at all." He shook his head. "Do you need something, Hae-in?"

Hae-in tucked her hands to her back. "Uh. . . What do you think are the best flowers to give to someone you love?"

Something shot through his heart. Yet, Jin-woo ignored it. "Well, there are roses, peonies, tulips, daisies. . . Which kind do you want?"

"Is it okay if I leave it to you?" Hae-in asked. "You know more about these things and I don't want to mess up."

"Okay." He maintained his smile. "I can do it."

Oh, someone save his heart from breaking. . .

But, who was he kidding? He was just that one fool who had a crush on a lovely woman named Hae-in. He lived his life through flowers. How could she return his affections for that? Perhaps it was natural for her to be with someone like that guy. . .

Jin-woo, being himself, busied himself with the orders and then gathering the flowers Hae-in wanted to give to her boyfriend. She was going to pick the banquet up in Saturday. He thought it must be their anniversary which was why she asked him for flowers.

The deadline came and Jin-woo had prepared the banquet ready. It contained the flowers he had mentioned and added three yellow hydrangeas in the middle; Jin-ah had wrapped them in a light green craft paper and a blue ribbon. It looked pretty. . . Hae-in's boyfriend was certainly a lucky man.

The door opened and there she was, followed by the same man he had seen in that day. Jin-woo put up a decent composure and greeted his guests like he often did.

"Here's the banquet you asked, Hae-in." He gestured to the counter.

"Oh my God! Thank you, Jin-woo!" Hae-in beamed. She turned to her boyfriend. "I told you he's the best florist in this town, Jong-in!"

"Fine, you are right," Jong-in rolled his eyes. "And maybe you are right about the fact that I should not buy that cologne."

She chuckled. "Yoon-ho will love the flowers, especially if it's you who will give it to him!"

What. . . ? Jin-woo couldn't help but feel confused in the whole situation.

"Here's the money. I hope it is enough." Jong-in handed him a few won and picked the banquet up. "Are you coming, Hae-in?"

"I'll get home on my own." Hae-in said. "Enjoy your dinner!"

Once Jong-in walked out of the shop, Jin-woo stood on his spot, registering the sentences he had heard in front of him. Did this mean that Hae-in and Jong-in were not exactly together? Was he a friend of hers that she had come to help?

"So. . . What was that?" Jin-woo cleared his throat. "I thought that banquet was supposed to be for him?"

"Him? No. It was his fiance's birthday and I told him that he should buy flowers instead of another cologne." Hae-in chuckled. She looked at him. "What made you think of that?"

Jin-woo felt heat rise on his neck. He looked away and stashed his hands into his pockets. "N— nothing." He turned around. "I'll have to continue stacking up. Feel free to stay a bit longer."

"Wait!" She grabbed his wrist. "Jin-woo, I— uh. . . "

Jin-woo blinked. "Yes?"

"Would you like to go out with me after you're done?" Then, Hae-in let out a smile. "Let's just say it is my response to that flower you gave me last week."

"Which one?"

"The dahlias." She said. "You know what they mean, right?"

As the words dawned on him, Jin-woo drooped his head in bashfulness, chuckling as he scratched his cheek with his finger. He faced Hae-in again with an affectionate smile.

"Wait for me in fifteen minutes." He told her.

[iris-sistibly]

BAAAAAAAABES OMG!!!! EPISODE 10 IS GIVINGGGGG!!!

It's giving cuteness, it's giving love, it's giving ✨QUEEN✨ it's giving fucking satisfaction my loves!

📍Let's start off with some really funny scenes brought to you by Hong Mama, it's so freaking satisfying to see her get humbled over and over and over again! Her getting off of her high horse has been long overdue tbh, that scene when she finally got her salary after work, only for Baek Mama to deduct it for the coffee she paid for (her), God her face was priceless. Everyone say it with me, "DESERVE!" Perhaps Mama Baek can teach her a thing or two about mothering. It's about time she learns that too.

📍Papa Hong and Papa Baek having a heart-to-heart conversation over their frustrations at losing something, and almost everyone seems to turn their backs on them. Them bonding over Kdrama while having a drinking session at the same time is probably one of the most wholesome scenes in the show.

📍Mama Baek being such a loving mama to Hae-in 😭😭 even though it's clear that she loves her son, she didn't tolerate Hyun-woo's bullshit when the latter confessed about Hae-in's illness and the divorce. I hope all parents will take note of this: you don't tolerate your kids' wrongdoings, you make them own up to their mistakes and guide them in doing the right thing. That's why Hyun-woo knows how to take accountability, his mother taught him well.

📍Soo-cheol is actually growing on me. He's an immature idiot at first, but he really has a big heart. He's the one who got fooled and dumped on yet he still worries over baby Geon-u and Da-hye. Yes he was hurt, but he loves Da-hye so much that he can't even bring himself to be angry at her. He sees the goodness in her and points at the right person who caused their family to crumble. I can't wait for him to man up and fight to bring his family back.

📍Oh my beautiful BaekHong, the "divorced" couple who acts like they're still married. Hae-in acting like a typical wife who scolds her husband for getting into trouble, but still takes care of him anyway and Hyun-woo the boxing champion trembling at his angry wife 🤣.

📍I also love the fact that they finally have that much needed talk about their marriage, what went wrong, what they could have done, and Hyun-woo having no regrets at marrying Hae-in and would gladly choose her again and again. Dear Lord, where can I get myself a Baek Hyun-woo?

📍But damn Hae-in exposing Eun-seong during the press conference was the BEST!!! Dude was so sure he was gonna marry her but Hae-in isn't the queen of Queens for NOTHING. He really did underestimate her, I kid you not when I say that I literally flipped my middle finger when the camera focused on Eun-seong *clears throat* with all due respect to Park Sung-hoon, you are a great actor sir but I loathe your character. Yoon Eun-seong is the very definition of "delulu is the solulu" again, Hae-in would rather die than be with him, and since this episode is so satisfying, I'm gonna save my rant for the next episode.

📍I have always loved the dynamics of Hyun-woo and Hae-in, they may be different in a lot of things but they complement each other in so many ways. For example, when someone is trying to fuck up the other, or when one of them is in danger, there will be hell. Hyun-woo is very protective of Hae-in, he'll fight tooth and nail for her even if it means getting hurt in the process. This man will fight for her to the death. Hae-in on the other hand is the type of person who would rather take all the pain to herself than seeing her loved ones suffer. She will never stand back when it comes to Hyun-woo, and when someone tries to fuck him up, she'll go above and beyond to save him, and she'll give you hell if you mess with her husband. Since the beginning they have always fought for each other, but in the next coming episodes I hope they'll learn to fight together because seriously, they are such a power couple.

📍Hae-in still calls Hyun-woo her husband 🥹🥹

📍Shout out to Grace for not being too stupid, you have chosen the right team to help ma'am. And Da-hye...girl, come back already.

[mydramatea]

Queen of tear ep.2

Short review + personal thoughts, grab some popcorn because it's going to be a long post :D

☆゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜★☆゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜★

In this ep. the showrunner show a little light from the past of our couple, how Hyun Woo was so attached to Hae In and how he wanted to protect her, also we can see some flashback from an accident that happened to Hae In.

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗

Baek Hyun Woo point of view.

The ep. begins with Hyun Woo sleeping peacefully in his bed (like the weight on his shoulders were lifted) but it did not take too much to start to feel “guilty” about his happy mood and start to think how sad he should look like.

He goes to check on his wife because she was running late, he was caught (by her) checking if she was still breathing because in his eyes, she looked dead, and he kissed her out of the blue in a way of not being seen suspicious about his thought.

Latter on the episode, he is chatting with his friend and also reveal the secret that his wife would be dead in three months, so his friend propose to just start to act more lovely towards her with the purpose to get in his hand her inheritance* and so he does it, helping her in every way possible (even with her family) and buying flowers because of their marriage anniversary.

Hong Hae In point of view.

She was feeling suspicious of her husband because he was acting out of character, he was acting like the old him (the one that was always taking care of her, the one that she followed to the country side in a helicopter, just to come back with him), but after she caught him browsing her disease, she got faith that maybe he was sincerely concern about her condition.

She even called him when once of her "enemies" try to bully her because she went alone to an event where it was needed to go with their partner. She felt hopeless because Hyun Woo was in a trial and he was unreachable to her and she needed him to win over her bully and clap her back, and out of the blue he showed up at the event.

╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝

Personal thoughts

I did not mentioning the following objects because I want to discuss them here, it felt pointless to highlight them above, because is not part of their POV.

As far as we know, Seon Hwa (FL mom) hates her because she was the cause of the death of her/his sibling?¿ (I personally think this was an accident, and that accident affected her in way she start to be more logical and objective oriented)

About the inheritance* I think she sign a doc where she gives all of her money to Hyun Woo in case something happened to her.

We have Hyun Woo getting jealous about this new character (sorry I forgot the name and I am not sure if the name was Yoon Eun Seong D:) and yes, he is in denial about this jealousy.

We know that Hae In did not showed up at the meeting with her husband (ep.1) because she did not wanted to go, but because of her condition. So once again I am saying that she LOVES him but thanks to her trauma (the accident with her sibling) and condition she looks cold in the eyes of Hyun Woo.

So we know she have a brain tumor, that is inoperable, but miracles may occur.

I think the "feeling" or "faith" Hae In is having towards her husband does confirm at the end of the episode where Hyun Woo shot at the wild boar was on his way to attack her. BTW the CGI was horrible.

Hong Soo Cheol i do not know what to think about him, he can't be that weak?¿ I mean he is the opposite of his sister... and Seon Hwa babysit him alot.

Hong Beom Ja (Hae In aunt) I like how her character lights up the show, she may getting in jail by killing her dad girlfriend, she does not trust her and she is doing right.

Talking about Mo Seoul Hee (Beom Ja dad girlfriend) she will take the fortune of Hong Man Dae (her bf) by asking for that favor she won playing go with Man Dae. She is fishy!! I said it.

By now I just feel the family of Hyun Woo does not have consistency to add or vital information about the story aside for the flash backs from when he was living with them. I may be wrong but by now that is.

❀~✿ ❀~✿ ❀~✿ ❀~✿❀~✿ ❀~✿ ❀~✿ ❀~✿❀~✿ ❀~✿ ❀~✿ ❀~✿

That's all I can recall from yesterday ep. yup, I watched yesterday this episode and didn't feel inspired to write about it right away :D.

Hope you enjoyed this post!! and if you want to discuss some topics about this drama feel free to it ~.

Bye~~

Btw. this scene from ep. 1 was top top top.

[whomst-art-thou-whomst-whomst]

Whomst Creates Angst on Purpose (Tale of the Nine Tailed season 1 edition)

Primarily little meow meow Rang related, because angst

You ever think about Ji Ah getting a read on Lee Rang’s sneakiness so fast, not because she’s got preternatural abilities but because she’s gotten disappointed and fooled and disillusioned so much in decades of trying to find her parents?

You ever think about whether Lee Yeon sees Lee Rang like a kid because his own actions led to him missing out on the rest of his brother’s childhood (which burned with the mountains)?

You ever think about Granny living through her son’s death and estrangement with her husband, adopting a surrogate son (and despite her supposed strictness, casually ignoring the illegal survival of his brother), only for the Imoogi to take her son’s form?

You ever think about how Yu Ri is totally unfazed by and supportive of Rang killing humans because something that bonded them from the beginning is that in their experience, humans were the monsters who hurt them and hunted them when they were vulnerable?

You ever think about how Rang gets a found family where he’s in part adopted by the guy he once beat the shit out of? How he is always visibly annoyed and jarred early on that Shin Joo continuously treats him with respect and something approaching sympathy? And how no matter what Rang does, Shin Joo recognizes his love for Yeon and only ever acknowledges him politely, not some evil nemesis but the indulged younger brother of his best friend? Only to lose each other just as they’re getting close? Idk. Their dynamic is so subtle but it fascinated me.

You ever think about the close up of Yeon’s face as he walks away from his little brother after slicing him open? How he forces himself to walk away and not check on him? How he must have felt to realize that this action is what led to Rang being trapped in debt to that psycho Kwon Hae Ryong, which in turn indirectly helped bring the Imoogi back?

You ever think about how when Granny and Rang talk, Rang shows he fully believes he’s a bad person and going to hell for his crimes, but that he’s okay with it due to self-hatred? And that part of the reason he wants to kill his brother is so Yeon will go to hell with him and they can be brothers together forever, even in terrible circumstances?

You ever think about how when Rang asks Yeon if he’d save his brother in danger, and Yeon says “save yourself,” they are thinking of two different things—how Yeon means “I am so scared that you don’t want to live enough to try, I just want you to take better care of yourself” and what Rang hears is “I don’t care about you”?

You ever think about Ji Ah realizing her crush might see her as someone who ISNT her? Wondering how she measures up to some long dead, pedestalled Princess? How she gets mad at Rang for most of the things he’s done while Yeon just tolerates those things, but that when Rang enables Ji Ah to see the truth of her past, Yeon is pissed while Ji Ah doesn’t get angry with Rang for this? How she probably comes to see that Rang’s action, while in the short term horrible and unkind, in the long run is weirdly the way Ji Ah and Yeon could start to have honest conversations about the past that would ultimately strengthen their relationship?