Author Archives: do hee

At the beginning of the drama, it’s hinted that somebody at the table is getting married! However, this prompts a greater discussion about the economic state in 2012, and how it’s even comparable to the Asian Financial (IMF) Crisis during 1997, where newlyweds cannot afford owning a home. As you may remember, the Asian Financial Crisis is in full-effect by the end of episode 5. Viewers can understand the impact of the financial crisis when we see Dong-il and Il-hwa in the hospital: a shared patient room costs 300,000 won per day (in today’s rate, it’s $330 CAD), and Dong-il’s paycheque is docked in half. I reckon the Seong family are a part of the middle class, but they are still not safeguarded by the precarious conditions from the fluctuating economy. How has the financial crisis impacted families of different classes? How did the economy in 2012 compare to 1997?

It is interesting to note that “love” is the theme of this episode, highlighting the ups and downs of love.

For Yun-je, he’s still attempting to win Shi-won’s heart. He feels threatened by Jun-hee’s friendship with Shi-won, thus he’s determined to transform himself into who he thinks Shi-won’s ideal type is. He buys carp-bread (붕어빵), sits through the cold nights, jams to H.O.T, hoping to get her attention. Ultimately, his selfishness takes over, asking Yu-jeong for all 4 tickets to a basketball game which she went through hell and back for, just so he can have alone time with Shi-won and continue his quest to win her over. Yun-je is oblivious to Yu-jeong’s feelings and motives, leaving her completely heartbroken. Ultimately, his plan to have alone time with Shi-won backfires, as she’s bored out of her mind during the game and misses his confession.

Similarly, Yu-jeong tries to change herself into the more desirable girl by studying basketball prior to the game, impressing Seong-jae and Hak-chan much to their surprise. The attention she receives from her other male friends are meant to make Yun-je jealous, but it backfires. It becomes clear towards the end of the episode that Yun-je’s heart was with Shi-won. Yu-jeong breaks down crying in the bus, but Hak-chan quickly comes to rescue.

Since Hak-chan’s entrance to the drama, he’s portrayed as the “comically weird” character, unable to see women outside of pornography. However, he quickly develops into a gallant and heroic character when Yu-jeong’s love wasn’t reciprocated — he stands up for her. He consoles her on the bus, and putting her needs/desires first rather than letting his quirks take over. For once, we see Hak-chan taking initiative and becoming a emotionally sensitive person, rendering him as a more realistic and reliable character for the viewers. By the end of this episode, we know that Hak-chan and Yu-jeong are getting MARRIED!

Life for the Seong family isn’t going swell either. Although Si-won rejoices being an official executive member of H.O.T’s Pusan fanclub, Tony 오빠 reveals publicly that the letter that Shi-won wrote with her own blood made him uncomfortable. Again, we see signs of love and affection backfiring. Shi-won is upset that she’s put her feelings/desires first before Tony’s by sending him a disturbing gift. On a positive note however, Shi-won is pregnant! But who is the baby daddy? We’ll just have to wait and see…

Meanwhile, the Seong parents are still trying to cope with Dong-il’s diagnosis. Although the doctor concluded that his illness is not fatal and will not spread, Dong-il remains to be pessimistic. His feelings are reinforced when he sees parallels with his life and the main character of a TV drama suffering cancer. Il-hwa is enraged at the drama’s writer, upset and angry about how people can capitalize and glamorize an illness that affects so many. She does this to support her husband, but also many others who unfortunately follow the same trajectory. In the end, she makes a heartfelt plea to the drama writer after calling every night, asking her to write a happy ending for the leading man of the drama, giving hope to viewers who watch it. Dong-il is thankful for both the ending of the drama, but most importantly for the unsolicited love and support from his wife. Are dramas obligated to reflect social perspectives and realistic depictions? Or should dramas not be taken seriously and be understood solely as another form of entertainment?

Notice that Jun-hee is one of the main characters who’s arc has failed to develop in this episode. We understand that he’s a caring and supportive friend, especially to Shi-won. Also, it’s revealed that Jun-hee has a crush on Yun-je, but he’s yet to confess. This would’ve been a good episode to expand Jun-hee’s relationship with Yun-je, but writers of the show decided not to. Do you think this was a conscious decision by the writers, given South Korea’s stance on LGBT representation (especially in the 90s)? Personally, I find it quite upsetting that the arc for a character who holds so much significance, culturally, is developing so slowly. I hope we get to see more of how Jun-hee addresses his identity and the different nuances in his life.

Can’t wait to read your comments, and I’ll see you guys on the next post!

Kelly x

The episode starts off with Si-Won fighting with her dad as she pleads for a pair of really expensive branded jeans in the car as they head for the hospital to visit Yoon-Jae. Dong-Il, agitated by Si-Won’s whining, he screams “A student only needs a uniform. What else do they need?”

Si-Won and Dong-Il’s fight continues in the car as they throw hurtful words to each other such as,

“I’d rather have him as my own child”

“I am very jealous of that Gyu Geong doesn’t have parents”

When stopped at the lights, a car hits the back of Dong-Il’s car. The couple, Dong-Il and Il-Hwa, get out of the car putting on an act. Both holding their neck and back to exaggerate their injuries and end up calling the ambulance where they are taken to the hospital demanding for a complete checkup. Results of the test for Dong-Il is bad news—he has cancer.

Si won, desperate to gain these special jeans, sends made up stories about people around her to a radio station where they give out these jeans as a prize. She ends up winning the jeans for a story she had made up about her father being diagnosed with cancer. Her made up story come true.

This episode wraps around the story of Si-Won’s dad, Dong-Il as he is unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer. The episode portrays the emotions of Dong-Il and Si-Won. Although the two seem to never get along, the bond between them is unexplainably strong. Dong-Il worries about his family, especially his not yet matured daughter—feeling sorry that he is unable to give everything for Si won. Whereas Si-Won cries in sorrow after hearing about her dad’s diagnosis. She feels guilty for the diagnosis of her dad.

Despite all the harsh words that Dong-Il says, we see his love towards Si-Won through his actions. He finishes Si-Won’s super long summer homework so that his daughter would not receive spanking from her teacher. The episode ends with the surgeon (cameo by singer Kim Jong Min), who we find out is the person who hit Dong-Il’s car, announcing that the surgery was a success.

The father-son or father-daughter relationship is common theme in Korean dramas. Are there any ideas as to why this might be a reoccurring theme in K-dramas? Is Dong-Il and Si-Won’s relationship distinct only in South Korea or is this a universal bond that people have?
Let me know thoughts!

This episode was viewed on Netflix.

Edited by Dohee

Romance is in the air, as Episode 4 has plenty of it throughout. From Yoon-jae and his brother Tae-woong’s scenes along with Shi-won. The episode flashes back to Tae-woongs crush from back in 1991, a girl he used to tutor. One thing that stands out is how aggressive this girl is for Ta-woongs attention, she takes off his shirt off in one scene and says “Marry to me.” She gets into Pusan college, and it seems an ideal opportunity for her to plant a kiss onto Tae-woong, who accepts and doesn’t resist. This memory is vivid in his mind as he walks past a street vendor selling paintings, and he gives him cigarettes and a lighter. Later on we find that he purchased a picture from a street vendor for the girl who had a crush on him. One can feel his extreme sadness at recalling the memory when taken to the last scene of the episode

In the middle of this episode is the main event, where all the characters come together to watch the Korean-Japan world cup soccer. A comment that stands out when Shi-wons father meets new student Hak-chan, the Dad leans in and says “It’s more fun to watch a game together when it’s against Japan.” This brings up the rivalry between Korea and Japan and how Shi-wons father is clearly not a fan of Japan.  Yoon-jae and Hak-chan both get attention from their crushes while watching the game.  Yoo-jung is putting her arms around Hak-chan, and Yoo-jung gets wrapped up by Yoon-Jae what a moment! Not to be left out, Shi-won connected with a man in an online chat room from Seoul earlier. She gave her phone number too him and he said he would call her after the game. When he calls Yoon-jae ends up picking up the phone, and talks about chicken that was delivered earlier not being theirs. Fooling the man into thinking it was the wrong number, it shows how far a man will go when competing with another for a girl’s attention.

Some questions that came up for me are as follows-for the guys out there do you sympathize with Yoon-jae? What would you do if you were that age and you found out you had competition over your crush? How do you feel about Korean girls being portrayed as aggressive over a tutor crush? Is Japans rivalry with Korea something modern day Koreans are passionate about?

Edited by Alex

The episode unfolds with Si-won’s parents fighting because of her actions three days prior, where she had traveled to Seoul in order to visit the house of Tony An, a member of the popular group H.O.T. Si-won vowed that she would not return home unless she saw him.

While she and many other fans eventually get to meet him albeit briefly, he tells them to leave since he won’t be leaving his place anytime soon. Si-won and a select few remain, patiently waiting outside his house. The following day, she is the sole fan as she is determined to not end her visit without a proper glimpse of Tony. As a result, she vaults his wall, entering the property. Met by his dog at the door, she startles Tony and while wallowing with self-regret over her actions, she is simultaneously overjoyed as she receives a signature from him.

The scene returns back to their parents’ fight, as it is revealed that her father had forcefully cut her long hair because of this, exasperated at her actions.

The following day, as Si-Won, Yun-jae and Jun-hui are going to school, Si-won voices her concerns about how frequently her parents fight. She remarks that it should be against the law for people from Jeolla and Gyeongsang Provinces to marry, a reference to the regional differences that existed between the two areas in South Korea, which was also a topic that was discussed in class.

It is also revealed that someone with the number 1004 (play on words, in Korean means 천사, or angel) had sent a music gift to Yun-je’s pager. Suspecting and half-wishing it was Shi-won, he is plagued with curiosity, the hidden identity whom the audience would eventually learn later into the episode.

Various aspects of student life are also revealed through the actions of Seong-jae, who is assigned to do tasks such as wiping the chalkboard clean, fetching the milk as well as the attendance sheet. He is also seen playing with his Tamagotchi.

A new student is introduced that day, a student by the name of Do Hak-chan, whose family had to move to Busan because of his father who was in the military. Again regional differences are highlighted, as Hak-chan, the Seoul newcomer, is confused by the Gyeongsang dialect. While Sung-jae had voiced a discomfort with him, Hak-chan wins his heart when Hak-chan wordlessly receives punishment for the mistake that Sung-jae had made.

Later on, the audience observes Shi-won’s parents argue over their television preferences, especially the election of 1997. They fight over the “mess of the country”, which though not explicitly mentioned, historically would have been in large part because of the economy. During their argument they also mention the apparent tendency of citizens in South Korea like Shi-won’s mother to vote for the candidates who are from their region. Interestingly, Shi-won’s father’s preference, Kim Dae-jung became the first opposition leader to win the presidency in 1998.

Near the end of the episode, Shi-won discovers her parents “embracing” within the car, a clear sign of reconciliation. Scarred, she trades this secret for Jun-hui, who she was messaging online. Surprisingly, it turns out that Jun-hui was the one responsible for sending the music gift and that his secret was that he is heavily infatuated with Yun-je.

What did you guys think of this episode? I think there are many interesting points to discuss, such as regional differences and dialects, the sasaeng fans (I could see this be the beginning of much more extreme things we see in the present day https://www.allkpop.com/article/2015/07/13-extreme-accounts-of-sasaeng-fans) and also, LGBT in Korea. How was the final scene presented to the audience and do you think it is trying to suggest something about this period in South Korea?

-Sean

This episode was also viewed through Netflix.

Links:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kim-Dae-Jung

https://www.allkpop.com/article/2015/07/13-extreme-accounts-of-sasaeng-fans)