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celebrating 10 years of captain swan day 21: granny’s diner

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Djamila Knopf on Instagram

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Is the hook sharp? Is it difficult to wear? “There are three versions of the hook. There’s one that’s solid metal and it’s really heavy. It’s sharp. It’s not super sharp but it has a point, and because of the weight you could do some serious damage with it. And then there’s an aluminium one which is a bit lighter, and then there’s a rubber one for if you’re to do stunts or there’s any danger of cutting someone. Although sometimes I like to switch it out! It’s the perfect coffee cup holder - it’s literally the exact size. And if you’ve only got one hand and you’re holding some food, it’s great to put it on.” - Colin O'Donoghue

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235 Days of Killian Jones: Day 108

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Jumping right into it, I noticed that there aren't any video edits based on any cs fanfics (atleast, I haven't seen any- I'd love to see them though). So when writers block got the best of me, I decided to try my hand at fic edits.

During this process, I set myself a few criterias:

1. Use fanart as much as possible and try to avoid using scenes from the show.

2. Keep the use of Jen and Colin's pictures minimal.

I set myself these criterias as a lot of book edits (especially the ones on ig) tend to usually not use pictures of the actual actors. But instead, pictures of individuals with similar attributes.

Before, I stop my Ted talk *eyes bottom of the transcript jokingly* I just wanna say:

1. I discovered so much fanart and really talented artists (which filled me with joy and longing- made me wish I was a part of the fandom in the early days).

2 . All artists are linked below under the read more option

3. The fanfics the edit is based on is linked below:

- The reprise

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4146513

- Forbidden by totheendoftheworldortime79 tumblr

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12056715/1/ (also on ao3)

Without further ado, here is my first fic edit ever

Fan art artists:

1. Artist: Deesney

Link to profile: https://www.deviantart.com/deesney

Fanart link: https://www.deviantart.com/deesney/art/Will-Killian-and-Alona-Dare-395346865

Note: tumblr blog link broken

2. Artist: hookedonwetcolin

Link to profile: hookedonwetcolin.tumblr.com (unable to find blog)

Link to their fanarts used:

. https://pin.it/3MKDBzg

. https://pin.it/HrxQqS8

3. Artist: Magpieigraine

Link to profile: https://www.deviantart.com/magpieigraine (tumblr link broken)

Links to their fanart/Manips used:

-https://www.deviantart.com/magpieigraine/art/Captain-Swan-Kiss-in-the-Rain-655654165

-https://www.deviantart.com/magpieigraine/art/Captain-Swan-Kiss-in-the-Rain-638319959

4. Artist: Samanthadoodles

Profile link: https://www.deviantart.com/samanthadoodles

Tumblr link: https://at.tumblr.com/samanthadoodles/dto63fpsc5bv

Art link: https://www.deviantart.com/samanthadoodles/art/Emma-Swan-394821675

5. Artist: jennwolfesparreaux

Artist tumblr: https://jennwolfesparreaux.tumblr.com/archive?source=blog_view_login_wall

Link to fanart: https://images.app.goo.gl/frJ5psyhKDRfB3T78

Note: - can't find fanart on their tumblr

- we heart it seems to be blocked for me

6. Artist: hookless

Profile link: https://at.tumblr.com/hookless/ys6q16w8lcvn

Fanart link: https://at.tumblr.com/hookless/hookless-1am-doodle-because-s5-hookkillian/rs21z87ip2s3

7. Artist:

Artist profile: https://www.deviantart.com/pompeii-ablaze

Tumblr: https://at.tumblr.com/pompeiiablaze/7yno0oi6s77o

Fanart link: https://www.deviantart.com/pompeii-ablaze/art/change-for-the-better-570549127

8. Artist: waiting-for-autumn

Artist profile: https://at.tumblr.com/waiting-for-autumn/cjphrqxhtrk8

Fanart link: https://at.tumblr.com/waiting-for-autumn/i-believe-this-is-my-shirt-love-well-i-just/y0v5cfs36nos

9. Artist: thisisartyanna

Profile link: https://at.tumblr.com/thisisartyanna/g0yq152v7oz9

Fanart link: https://at.tumblr.com/thisisartyanna/current-wip-captain-swan-baby-sketch-because-i/zye6hvd7htid

10. Artist: Flipperbrain

Profile link: https://www.redbubble.com/people/Flipperbrain/shop

Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/flipperbrain

Fanart link: https://at.tumblr.com/flipperbrain/wedding-night-please-do-not-tweet-or-post-this/yvld81qldht4

11. Artist: scribblecat27

Profile link: https://scribblecat27.tumblr.com/

Fanart link: https://at.tumblr.com/scribblecat27/lazy-swan-kisses-charcoal-and-pastel-my/h8eg1pjqit85

12. Artist: leila--princess

Profile link: https://fetcherx.com/social/tumblr/leila--princess

Tumblr link: https://at.tumblr.com/leila--princess/k72n7mbklhlz

Fanart link: https://at.tumblr.com/leila--princess/cs-tacos-captain-swan-fan-art-by-me-ouat/bsn9hwvca82v

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Silly Headcanons About the Princes as Children

Because I had a long weekend but didn't feel like going to the beach. Daydreaming about mini prince shenanigans is just as fun.

Jin Grandet

Was extremely frugal when he first arrived at the palace, opting out on extravagant apparel and accessories in favor of more drab and practical outfits.  And he only ate the bare minimum during meals to satisfy his hunger.

Everything changed when his first sugar rush attacked. There was a ball at the palace, and Jin laid his eyes on a marvelous 5-tiered buttercream beauty of a cake. It was love at first sight.

It took three servants, two attempts, and one tall glass of warm milk to knock him out and carry him off to bed. By that point, the top four tiers were demolished and nearby mini desserts gobbled up, and everyone went home that night splattered with bits of frosting and cake crumbles. No one likes to remember that evening.

Chevalier Michel

Started his nickname game when he was first learning to speak and couldn’t properly pronounce all the convoluted extended names of the nobility yet. Who has the lung capacity to say “Duke of Over-the-hill, Earl of Just-By-Yonder, Knight of the Square Table, Personal Aide-de-Camp to the Late-Late King, Stuffy McFeatherPants the Third” anyways? 

“Baldy Big Nose” is much more elegant and to the point.

To this day, the nobles make crucially sure to keep track of their nicknames and how they change over the years. It’s a good indication of whether they have fallen out of the prince’s favor.

For example: “Padded Shoulders” probably means you’re safe for now. “Pesky Pupils” means you should consider sending him an expensive gift. “Slithering Maggot” means you need to pack your family and move to Benitoite yesterday.

Clavis Lelouch

Has a soft spot for small animals, so when one unwittingly ends up in one of his traps he does his best to calm it down before releasing it.

If the animal ends up injured, he nurses it back to health before setting it free (or on someone else as another prank). This usually results with him naming the animal and growing attached to it. They become his partners in crime and he relays his grand plans out loud to them like a master and apprentice. These included maps, diagrams, test runs, code names… the whole shebang. 

He also liked to sew tiny matching bandanas to tie around his wrist and his animal companion to signal the mission was go!

Usually kept the animal for much longer after it healed. Sariel makes it a point to do routine sweeps of his room and extract any freeloaders.

Leon Dompteur

Found it much easier to stay awake when someone read to him (I think this is actually canon).

Bonus points if they do voices for the characters. That’s a guaranteed spot on the future domestic faction leader’s friend-list.

Used his princely charms to convince people around him to read history books and old memos and other study material to him. Sariel put an end to this when he saw Leon using his puppy dog eyes to pull ministers out of meetings to read to him.

Would seek out Chevalier to read him stories before bed. Had a 50% success rate getting through the door and a 1% chance of voicing the characters.

Yves Kloss

Used to be the pickiest eater, only preferring foods his wet nurse prepared, until he saw Licht and Nokto struggling with their own meals.

Vowed to create a dish that incorporates carrots that the twins would enjoy.  Tried sneaking it into soups, purees, sauces, gravies, juices, and even desserts. Has not yet found success. 

Through his quest, the doors to Rhodolite’s exquisite culinary history opened to him and he’s been hooked ever since. Is now the first of the brothers to volunteer to try new dishes.

Needless to say, he spent a lot of time in the palace kitchens. Ended up making friends with the stray cats that frequented the back door and the windowsills, and would feed them exorbitantly. Everyday. And on schedule. Well, you try saying no to those cute hungry faces!

Licht Klein

Liked to pretend he was Nokto to get out of dance practice.

Learned to walk before Nokto, and boy did that make him feel on top of the world. He ran (wobbled) circles around his stationary twin, showed off that he could hop, and even managed to stand on one foot for a solid 4 seconds! This lasted a whole 2 days before Nokto caught up.

Once tried to repay Yves for putting so much effort into cooking foods he’d like. He asked Chevalier for an easy-to-follow cookbook, woke up before the cooks and servants, and holed himself up in the kitchen. By the time preparations for breakfast needed to begin, the cooks walked into a war zone. Broken eggshells and yolks littered the floor, flour and cornmeal and different-colored spices coated all the counters and cabinets, and Licht sat in the middle of the kitchen rocking in place, anxiously flipping through the cookbook. Oh yeah, and the oven was on fire. 

Nokto Klein

Liked to pretend he was Licht to get out of sword training.

Hated being called the baby of the family except by Licht.

Always make a beeline for Jin at the parties that Licht couldn’t attend. Jin would pass him the sweets from the high tables Nokto couldn’t reach, then they’d divvy up their bounty and split off before any pesky ministers could poke their noses in their business. Nokto would take his share to Licht and they’d eat them together.

Even more charming than young Leon (he refuses to accept it’s because he’s the baby!) All the servants instantly fall for his bewitching cuteness and boundless charisma and would shower him with little gifts like extra sweets or flowers or piggy-back rides. Nokto never complained, and to be frank this kind of boasted his ego later on in life.

Luke Randolph

Got his hand stuck in the honey jar on multiple occasions.

Got his head stuck in the honey jar on even more occasions.

The fastest tree-climber in all of Rhodolite, even before he reached his full height. He only needed to observe the tree for a few minutes before determining an optimal path based on his weight and limb range while offering minimal damage to the tree.

Of course, this is all a result of years of honey hive heists. Thank goodness he isn’t allergic to bee stings.

Had the sweetest dimples as a child, and whenever an adult passed by him they’d stop in their tracks to give his cheeks a good pinch. Luke couldn’t wait until he outgrew them.

Read the new princes - Part 2 here!

(Check out my Ikemen Prince Writing Master list here! And if you want to send me a request, please check the details here!)

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best drip in the kingdom

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Seducing Mr. Perfect Daniel Henney + Uhm Jung Hwa

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“Love is a game, a manipulation of emotions. A r e  y o u  r e a d y ?”

- Daniel Henney, Seducing Mr. Perfect

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Like A Bullet to the Heart (Robin x Min-June)

Pairing: Robin Heiden x Kim Min June

Movie: Seducing Mr Perfect/Mr Robin Kkosigi

Summary: Somehow, the words that hurt the most almost always make their way back to you. Set after the bar scene and June’s conversation with her father. Features June’s nightmare which involves her three ex-boyfriends.

Note: Since we’re never told what the other two men were called, I took the liberty of naming them myself, as well as Robin’s ex.

–

You bastard.

Surprising how easily the words come to her now, when he’s just a picture trapped in a frame - all smiling and bespectacled and sipping beer from behind her, his eyes only on her, even when they were just posing. It’s always been this way with Ju-hyeoung. She’d have the choicest words to fling his way in the privacy of her bedroom, but in front of the man she was a confused, stuttering mess.

Even today. She should’ve ended it in sass and style, strutting away from him like a queen. She should’ve been the one to end things. Should’ve given him a kick in the shins - or higher. definitely higher - while she was at it. What did she do instead? She begged.

Come home, Ju-yeoung. Please. You can’t leave me like this.

What hadn’t she done right? Hadn’t she said all the right words, done all the right things? Made herself different from every other girl he’d ever known (those greedy, gold-digging bitches, always looking out to suck a man’s paycheck dry, he’d complain), paying her own way, buying her own things? Dressed up the way he wanted her to, had sex the way he wanted her to, worried and loved and cared the way he wanted her to?

She almost wants to pick up that goddamn phone and force him to explain. To hell with “don’t contact me again”.

She’s almost about to do it, when a low, familiar chuckle stops her.

She turns around. Closes her eyes. Opens them, closes them again. Perhaps if she does this often enough the sight before her will seem less real?

Jae-won perched on her bed. Min-ho in his slate-grey suit, standing next to her bedside table (you’d better not topple over my favourite lamp, Min-ho, or I swear to God…). Ju-hyeoung lording it over her treasured armchair, as if he owned the damn thing. All of them staring back at her, amusement and judgement glimmering in equal parts from their eyes.

Jae-won still hasn’t stopped laughing. After all these years he’s still all bravado and bluster and bad-boy leather jackets bought with HER goddamn money. Why did I like you? Because you’re nice. Why did I stop liking you? Because you’re nice. You see, nice people get boring after a while.

Min-ho shuffles his feet uncomfortably from his place at the back of her room, his suit hanging over his frame like an overcoat on top of a mouse. He’d always insisted on wearing it, even if it was three sizes too big for him. When did I ask you for an allowance? (Three months before this conversation) Getting meals from you is embarrassing enough (but that never stopped you from asking, asshole!) Who do you think you are, my mother? (I was perfectly content being your girlfriend. Not my fault you turned into the worst kind of manbaby instead)

Ju-hyeoung’s eyes are black coal, cold and lifeless, but the words he says still sting. She isn’t sure if it’s because of the eerie calm with which he delivers them, or the fact that she’d heard them from him just a few hours ago. Give me some space. You’re the one who made me do this. (Stop asking for space while you’re sitting in my bedroom like you own it then!)

They’re almost three feet away from her but she can almost feel their breath on her neck. Her room is hot, too hot, with too little air and she’s suffocating. Can’t…breathe…need…to…leave…

Her feet are lead but she manages, inch by inch, to move towards the door. And stops.

It’s him.

Keep reading

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This is a set of very short transition scenes, sandwiched between two huge ones: the botched sogaetting with Jin Guk/bar meetup with Robin situation, and Yoon Mi’s birthday party. The blind date situation is their first major misunderstanding, and it’s aftermath is clearly shown in these scenes. Not a lot seems to be obvious in these sequences, but there is still much beneath the surface here.

Su-yeoung’s persistence

While it was obvious to both Min-June and Su-yeoung that the date with Jin Guk failed, Su-yeoung is clearly invested in pushing this match forward: to the point where she insists Min-June is crazy for nipping this opportunity in the bud, and encourages Jin Guk himself to communicate with her through phone and in person.

Min-June finds herself having to handle two conversations on her way to work: a hugely exhausting one with Su-yeoung convincing her to agree to marry Jin-Guk, and an equally tiring one with an irate Robin who insists on reviewing the Maeda contract before time.

In the first one, her best friend’s refusal to understand that she isn’t interested in Jin Guk whatsoever frustrates her enough to cut their conversation short. In the second, she finds herself at the receiving end of Robin’s frustration, unable to understand why he suddenly seems angry with her for no fault of hers (remember, at this point she doesn’t even know he got the card).

Keep reading

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So I passed the test, right? Let’s meet up at the hotel bar at 7 for the real lesson. Oh! Enjoy the lunch box - June.

The note. The thing that starts it all. The thing that starts out at as one of June’s heavy botched operations - only that it hasn’t failed the way she thinks it has. The thing that shows us for certain that, despite everything, Robin isn’t completely immune to June’s charms.

It is clear that while June may not particularly admit to liking Robin, things have changed between them after the Brighton deal. Which is why in the scene where she prepares the lunch box, in the dead of night, she seems to shake herself and say The operations must go on. No matter what. Almost as if her new dynamic with Robin is distracting her from her goal.

June seems to slightly miss the mark here too. As with Operation Angel, preparing a special lunchbox personally for him calls for a certain amount of intimacy that they haven’t reached yet. The movie has given us enough indications of how he feels about having his space invaded, for him to comfortably take what June is giving him. Preparing lunch for someone at work is a very intimate, taking-care-of-a-loved-one thing to do, and for a hoarder who doesn’t like to even have his office touched, partaking of that lunch (especially if he nursed secret feelings for the person who made it) would definitely feel like too much too soon. It’s no wonder then that he takes the note, and passes the box to Yoon Mi.

June sees this differently. She sees it as yet another rejection of her efforts, yet another reason to believe he wants to have nothing to do with her. She assumes that since he’s not even opened the box, he wouldn’t have noticed the note either.

Keep reading

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Very often romcoms will have a lead couple, and a beta couple that will complement/offset them. The beta couple tends to comprise usually of people connected to one or both of the leads, and their story tends to move along with less conflict than them. The leads could look to the beta couple for inspiration on how to work on their relationship, or find themselves mirrored in them. Usually the beta couple tends to involve people who are friends/siblings/exes of one of the main characters.

In this movie however, none of Robin or June’s friends seem to fit the bill. Robin’s best friend Jennifer makes her entry in the last third of the movie, and June’s best friend Su-yeoung hardly features for more than two scenes, and while she seems to pay a lot of attention to Jin-guk (June’s blind date) there is never any indication given that Jin-guk and Su-yeoung are interested in each other.

There is one couple that features from time to time in the movie, and whose story holds some parallels to June’s romance with Robin - and that happens to be June’s parents. Not much is seen of Mr. and Mrs. Kim, but the little we do see of them tells us plenty.

Our first glimpse of Mr. Kim is at his bookstore, where a very subdued June seeks his advice and company immediately after her harrowing conversation with Robin. He strikes us at first sight as a jovial but uncannily perceptive man, noticing his daughter’s swollen eyes and correctly guessing that she’s drunk a little before making her way here. He does not offer any judgement on either of these things - just points them out and leaves the subject when June doesn’t give him a straight answer. June notes that she can talk to her father like he is a friend, unlike many of her peers, and Mr. Kim remarks that it could be because they could be “growing old together” - a comment that irritates June, given what Robin had just said about her growing old alone.

June’s mother, on the other hand, is portrayed as being reserved and not very keen on showing the people she loves how she feels, nor do her children/husband feel the need to openly shower her with affection. June clearly acts differently around her mother than she does around her father: she admits to her father that she drank a bottle of beer when he asks her, and plays innocent when her mother asks her the same question. And it’s for good reason: as soon as her suspicions are confirmed, Mrs. Kim punishes her the way one would punish an errant child. Mr. and Mrs. Kim couldn’t be any more different from each other.

It comes as a surprise to June, then, that the scrapbook Mr Kim is perusing so lovingly happens to be a 34-year-old gift from Mrs. Kim, and even he tells her I can’t quite believe it either. It’s interesting that the scrapbook shows up in this scene, following the scene where June has her first major disagreement with Robin. Mrs Kim’s act of preserving memories of her relationship with Mr Kim shocks both father and daughter because she hardly seems to show this level of romanticism in their regular lives, and in this I feel she resembles Robin. He doesn’t do grand romantic gestures or acts of giving very often, but he does show he cares in small - almost subtle enough to miss - ways (keeping her note, adjusting her head to his shoulder when she’s drunk and semi-unconscious, agreeing to help her with lessons even though it hurts him).

Mrs Kim also features in the scene where June is preparing the lunchbox for Robin, asking her why she’s preparing such an elaborate meal so late at night. In my mind, this creates another link between Mrs Kim and Robin’s characters - because this, among a few other scenes, leads us to show us - the audience - a tendency in Robin that mirrors Mrs. Kim: the need to hoard things from people who matter, while simultaneously keeping their distance. Mrs Kim shows no outward affection towards her husband, but hoards all their memories together into a beautiful, painstakingly-decorated scrapbook. Robin passes the lunchbox to Yoon Mi, reluctant to partake in something as intimate and homey as eating the food June has cooked for him, but keeps the note.

Mr. Kim plays a far bigger role in the last hour of the movie, when a drenched, confused June confides in him about Robin. She doesn’t take his name, but explains to her father how Robin blew up at her over almost getting run over by a car, and also that she senses his feelings for her in that outburst. Mr Kim correctly guesses that both are in love with each other, which June vehemently denies. She begins by stating that she “doesn’t even like him, much less love”, even though she has just poured her heart out to Robin in the previous scene in a way she has never done with any of her lovers. When it comes to Robin, however, she pauses and then dismisses the idea because he is “too cold” to her. It is here that Mr. Kim mouths one of the movie’s pearls of wisdom: Words do not always express one’s feelings. You have to read the eyes! People can lie with their words, but not with their eyes.

And who does Mr. Kim use as an example?

Mrs. Kim, of course!

June is a lot like her father, in that they’re both warm, affectionate, slightly chatty people who like talking their problems out and showing how they feel. Mr Kim has spent more than 30 years with a wife who loves him and their children, but who shows it more by her actions than her words. Up until this moment, all June’s assumptions that Robin doesn’t like her stem from what he says to her, rather than his actions. In his regular speech to her, he can be cold, distant, critical when the need arises, and crabby when he’s jealous. But his actions - waiting for her at the bar, the ferry ride, taking her home when she’s drunk, being available for her whenever she requires his assistance, going crazy with worry when she almost gets hit by a car - reveal exactly how deeply she affects him.

Ironically, June’s attempt to reach out to him backfires when she finds out that he’s leaving for the States, and overhears a conversation with Jennifer where Robin vehemently denies that June means anything to him beyond just being “a woman I work with”. She goes by his words that he doesn’t care, almost missing his look of devastation when she lies to him about getting married.

It is in the montage following this sequence that we finally get a good view of Mrs. Kim’s scrapbook, filled not only with pictures of June’s parents but sketches, dried leaves and flowers and writing. Mrs Kim is a woman of very few words, but one look at this scrapbook and it is clear that she has invested a lot of time, effort and love into creating it, into showing her husband that whatever they have had together matters to her.

Robin eventually reaches this stage, when he whispers mianhae (“I’m sorry”) to her at the end of the movie. It may not be as creative as putting a whole scrapbook together, but involves a great deal of emotional energy from Robin, and a great deal of self-reflection: something he wasn’t as capable of doing in the beginning of the movie. It is June’s action of telling his story to Mitsoyishi that helps Robin realise she cares for him, and that encourages him to finally open his heart to her.

The above scene is seen as taking place after their confession in the final cut of the movie, but is really part of a set of deleted scenes that were set in the days between Robin’s going-away party and the Maeda takeover (I will explain this further in the scene analysis set aside for those scenes). Mrs Kim is shown as being happy about Robin’s possible relationship with June (we’re never told why: it could be because he’s a wealthy, established man who has taken an interest in her daughter), and Mr. Kim is shown as being doubtful and slightly skeptical of this new man in June’s life - eventually threatening to throw him out when he believes Robin won’t marry her at all (thanks to June’s brother completely messing up the translation).

Even though this scene was supposed to feature before their actual confession in the office, it is interesting that in the final cut, the movie closes with a meeting of these two couples, whose dynamic and conflicts so closely mirror each other.

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A lot happens in the car scene. And I mean A LOT. Till now Robin and June have been squabbling strangers in their first scene, boss-and-assistant in their second and co-conspirators at the Maeda party. But this scene not only sets up things to get a little more personal between them, but also brings up little things that will later become important to the story. I will be dividing each of them into sections:

Language Barrier

The film tells us, straight off the bat, that the language barrier between Robin and June is almost non-existant. June has a pretty high level of proficieny with the English language, owing to her work environment, and is capable of using it fluently when the occasion demands it. Robin is said to have mastered five languages (and we see him speak at least three in the film: English, Korean and Japanese) and can understand just about everything said to him in Korean. They use their native tongues with each other because that’s what they are most comfortable with, and communication flows seamlessly between them.

However, it is only natural that Robin - who is familiar with only certain aspects of Korean culture - will struggle to understand some of the finer nuances. That includes slang and turns-of-phrases, as well as things that only someone who has lived in Seoul can understand. This doesn’t seem very obvious in the movie, but we do get hints.

Keep reading

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June: Since when did you start liking me?

Robin: From the first day I met you. I saw that lipstick mark, and I wanted to kiss you.

–

(PS: The other thing I love about this scene? Robin tells us later that he thought June had a “special talent for deception”, and he entrusts her with a pretty risky mission on their first day working together. He figured out she knew English as soon as he saw her card and found out she was essentially an analyst in his company. Looking back at this sequence, it’s obvious he felt this woman would have an uncanny ability to smoothly make her way out of any situation he threw at her.)

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In the hotel room scene, Robin insults June by calling her a 386 to his Pentium, and then makes a suggestion to her. If she is able to prove herself at work, he will agree to coach her on the rules of the relationship game.

Not only must she prove her abilities, she must also pitted against a very talented co-worker and friend, Brian Hong. So far we have only seen Brian in two scenes: commenting on her weight on her first day back post her “surgery”, and later teasing her about her “wild night” with Ju-hyeoung, asking June if the latter might be possibly cheating on her.

Both are co-workers, but the movie implies that Brian’s abilities are acknowledged more often than June’s are. When June asks her senior why she was chosen as Robin’s assistant, he draws a blank. When Robin puts forward June’s name for the Brighton deal, both Brian and the senior seem shocked and skeptical at first. Later on in the movie, June’s senior calls Brian the “hidden brain” of the company, an assessment every one else seems to agree with. In fact, the only indication made of her talents come from Robin, and Robin alone.

We see only a tiny part of the meeting (interspersed by a shot of Yoon-Mi chattering away on the phone before she is asked whether the meeting is still going on, implying that it is taking longer than expected) where Brian and June make their respective presentations. June stays silent throughout the entire exchange, allowing the men in the room their time to shine before she speaks up so that when she does, it’s unmistakable that she holds the trump card.

This is very similar to the strategy she uses at the Maeda party, where she poses as a reporter and allows the two Englishmen to dominate the conversation before she humiliates them into telling the truth through a rumour. Robin may not have witnessed her in action in this instance, but he has definitely benifitted from her tactics.

Brian and the senior express shock when she outlines her strategy, but Robin is shown to be suppressing a smile. Both in this sequence and in the subsequent one where the Brighton deal actually takes place, Robin seems to express a lot of pride in all that she has managed to do.

I feel this sequence is important mainly because of the conversations that occur once they return to the office. June is visibly pleased with her performance and confident that they’ve done enough to seal the deal, but Robin - in classic Robin fashion - doesn’t openly reveal how happy with her performance he really is, choosing instead to say “don’t assume anything until the contract is signed”.

Once they’re out of the elevator, they meet Brian, whose morale seems to have lowered slightly since he was bested by June for the deal.

While on first watch it looks like only June seems to show concern for him, it is clear that both try in their own ways to make it easier on him. Robin, who isn’t one for grand gestures or exposition, gives him an encouraging pat in the back, while a visibly awkward June gives him an apologetic glance.

She then admits to Robin that she feels sorry for Brian, a sentiment that irritates Robin…enough for him to step outside his role as boss and berate her on letting her emotions and sensitivity get the better of her.

This sequence acts as a way of showing us a subtle transition in their relationship, making way for the bar/blind date scene. Before this, the two shared a largely cordial working relationship interspersed with occasional, and deeply personal, conversations outside of work. Giving June a chance to carry such a huge project on her shoulders shifts the balance slightly, shows us that Robin values her abilities and sees her as an asset to the company. It is clear that no one has given her such opportunities before.

How do we know this? On the elevator, June speaks excitedly, in terms that indicate that no one has ever trusted her with a project so huge in all her years in the company (Gosh, I can’t believe it. Me getting such a big deal). Her senior express his doubts when Robin first suggests involving June in his team, and both he and Brian are shocked when June proves them wrong. Robin on the other hand shows a healthy bit of confidence in her and expresses pride in being proven right. Prior to this, he has commented on her ability to decieve people when the occasion calls for it, and has witnessed firsthand that she can think on her feet and come up with solutions even when she has significantly messed up an operation. It is clear that Robin sees something in her professionally that others don’t.

However, while June seems to be an extremely talented businesswoman and an efficient employee, her lack of boundaries in relationships seems to extend to her attitude to work as well. June seems to forget that she had won the deal from Brian in a fair fight, that she deserved the deal. In fact Brian himself does not begrudge her her success, as is obvious from their interactions at Yoon Mi’s party (June and Brian sit together, she cheers him on when their senior calls him on stage, he encourages her to join him in karaoke).

June doesn’t need to feel bad for showing her skills at work or besting Brian, she doesn’t need to allow her friendship with him to colour her perceptions of her own success. Robin - who has already spoken of how her empathetic, giving nature hurts her more than it helps - seems almost angry at this display of sadness, to the point where he brings up her relationships (something he has never done in their office space so far). He seems to take this aspect of her very, very personally.

From June’s side, there is very little change that actually happens in her perception of Robin. She still sees him largely as someone who is cold, aloof, critical of her thoughts and actions. She still sees him as a man she must beat at his own game. The transformation that does happen, happens from Robin’s side. We finally see what he sees in her, see why he would want to choose her as an assistant, see his respect for her as a professional. Without this set of sequences, perhaps his visible adoration of her in some of the scenes following, would have felt a little jarring.