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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)

 

Episode 2 consists a series embarrassing and awkward moments for the group of friends: Yu-jeong reveals she plans to get breast augmentation; a village of people (including Shi-won) asks Yun-je about his circumcision; Shi-won hands a maxi pad to Yun-je, and Tae-ung walks into Yun-je washing his knickers; Yun-je doing backflips naked in front of the all-girls’ high school after losing a bet; Yun-je pushes Shi-won’s chest… the list goes on!

However, most importantly we see several relationship strains between our favourite characters, including Shi-won with Yu-jeong, Dong-il (dad), and Yun-je, as well as Dong-il and Il-hwa (mom).

The strain between Dong-il and Il-hwa is already building in the first two episodes, and I predict it will continue in the later episodes, considering how often couples bicker in reality. This is especially amplified during their intense game of Go Stop with Tae-ung. However, I realize Dong-il and Il-hwa have incredibly different parenting styles, thus their unique relationships with their only daughter also differentiate. Il-hwa appears to be the typical stay-at-home mom/housewife that does most of the cooking and cleaning. She’s also incredibly lenient towards Shi-won’s extreme dedication for H.O.T. Meanwhile, Dong-il is the typical, hot-headed working father. After discovering Shi-won’s grades are last in the class due to her overwhelming dedication for H.O.T instead of focusing on her studies, he sabotages her room, ripping posters off the wall furiously and threatening to disown her. Shi-won runs away from home as a result. Dong-il and Il-hwa think of Shi-won’s actions very differently. Il-hwa sees it as a
normal thing for most teens, and she appears to be indifferent about it. Meanwhile, Dong-il is infuriated and bothered by the whole situation. The roles they play as mother and father are stereotypically represented in other TV programs, in both Korean TV and elsewhere. Last week, we read an article stating that Korean TV dramas have an affect on people’s conceptions on the single life, I wonder if we can say the same about gender roles in the family in Korea? Do people strive to assume the same stereotypical gender roles as housewife/mother and breadwinner/father that they see on TV in their own respective lives?

The friendship between Shi-won and Yu-jeong is complicated by the end of this episode. After running from home and having nowhere to go, Shi-won goes to Yu-jeong’s house only to find out she has Sechskies posters and pictures plastered all around her wall. Shi-won instantly feels betrayed and upset. There’s nothing more shocking than knowing your best friend is fan of the rival group! In tears, Yu-jeong tries to call Shi-won and attempts to gain her trust back. Their friendship is hot water; will Shi-won forgive her for being untruthful? I reckon this is a reality for many K-pop fans, especially considering the number of “fandom wars” that exist on the internet and also at outdoor fan activities. For example, anti-fans executed a “black ocean” against Girls’ Generation (소녀시대) during the 2008 Dream Concert. Here’s a link of them discussing this infamous incident:

Episode 2 continues to explore more on Korea’s (idol) fandom culture.

For Yun-je and Shi-won, their relationship continues to be filled with ups and downs, especially during this episode. As mentioned earlier, several embarrassing incidents occur between the two. Their friendship is put to the test, when Shi-won needed an excuse for not doing her homework. She attributes her reasons to Yun-je, but he quickly denies it, resulting in Shi-won being punished for not completing her homework and also lying. Shi-won is upset and annoyed because Yun-je did not consider the situation she was in. He ultimately apologizes, but Shi-won disregards his apology and pulls prank on him. Sometime later,  Yun-je realizes he has developed a crush on Shi-won and they share a kiss with one another. However, Shi-won is still unsure and retaliates. How will this kiss place a strain on their already unstable friendship?

This episode was viewed on Netflix.

Edited by Kelly

Episode 1 starts off in a Karaoke Club setting with a husband and Wife singing with their daughter watching. The daughter Sung Shi-won then turns off their song irritating her father, and decides to sing her favorite classic song by H.O.T. “Candy.” Next scene she is shown present day as a TV writer, and is featured in a cab having a phone conversation about a work situation. She then enters a restaurant where a high school reunion takes place and she is reunited with old friends. After this we are sent back in time to her childhood house in Busan 1997, where Sung Shi-won’s favorite band H.O.T. is on screen. It is revealed that the member she has a crush on “Tony” keeps a teddy bear that she sent him as a fan and kisses the bear. She is ecstatic with her best friend Mo Yoon-jung She gets into a shouting match with her dad who calls the band “Monkeys” and says they should be sent to the military infuriating Sung Shi-won. The rest of the episode focuses on the girls obsession with H.O.T., and they go to a concert where they win prizes in a competition for knowing details about the band members. The main men featured in this episode besides Sung Shi-won’s dad, are Sung Jae and Soon Jae whose birthday it is, and is shown going to school and getting into a fight with his friend Sung Jae. The episode ends with Soon Jae confessing to Sung Shi-won that Mo Yoon-jung has asked him on a date. The Final scene features Sung Shi-won waking up infuriated at her mother, for washing her H.O.T. t-shirt that had “tony’s sweat” all over it. Over all the girls obsession for the band makes you wonder how accurate the portrayal really is of modern day Korean girls life and their favorite bands?

Edited By Alex

Watched on: https://www.netflix.com/watch/70296452?trackId=200257859