[Spoilers - Discussions] Questions / Answers

I don't know if anyone is actually going to read what I am writing, but I have the urge to make a discussion to finalize some points of this drama before I actually write a review. There's a ton of backlash and hate for this second season. I for one cannot stop thinking about it, and that means a lot. It's been brewing and simmering in my brain for 3 full days now because there are so many feels to this, and they're good feels. I hope this opinion will get to the writers and directors of this drama!

If you want to skip and get onto the discussions or questions then please just go straight to the Q/A below. I am about to have a mini rant on my thoughts of Kdramas nowadays.  I won't go in full depth of what I think about this show as a whole because that will be reserved for my review. I have a lot of things to talk about and it took me several days to recollect my thoughts.  For those who don't know me from this mydramalist forum, I have been around for a long time. Unfortunately I am no longer a teenager,  and I am in my late 20s, so perhaps my perception of Kdramas have evolved. For a period of time, I just gave up on Kdramas because I find they're very childish and redundant. A lot of times they try to make something funny or romantic, but they come off as cringey. So over the last couple of years they just don't interest me anymore. "Crash Landing on You" and "Something in the Rain" pulled me back into the Korean drama world, but somewhere midway of both series they made me lose interest. The story and characters started going onto this nonsensical path in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect Kdramas to make sense because they have so many plotholes and their stories are pretty nonsensical to begin with. Though, the characters should have a form of realism to them so that I am attached to them. Trust me, I am a dreamer too or else I wouldn't be wanting to watch any of these dramas. Though, I need to feel for these characters and I can't just feel for them simply because they do something cute.

So fast forward after already watching S1 of Love Alarm, which I quite enjoyed. It was like a typical Kdrama vibe minus all the long banters and they actually get straight to the point. I was thankful for that. It was a drama that I couldn't wait for a S2 and I usually am not that eager. Boom, came S2 and I was like so taken away by how it turned out. Taken away in a GOOD way. Like, I literally had an epiphany and I'm not even the targeted audience. I was like this is the first time that a Kdrama has spun its story without its fans influences (which I hate). A story is meant to be told from point A to B not rearranged just to satisfy a mass audience. Don't get me wrong, there are major flaws in this series, especially the transition from S1 to S2. However, the overall message was very mature for a Kdrama. It's probably one of the more mature ones I've seen in my whole Kdrama history viewing in a long time. Mature in the sense that these characters could actually be real life characters making these decisions. I was so sad that this season is getting a ton of backlash for doing something outside of its comfort zone. I hope the people who worked on this project won't hinder other directors/writers to stop doing these kind of works. This was a show that made me reflect a lot on the human psyche and our world right now.

1. When does the love alarm actually ring?

I think the app will only ring when someone is attracted to you / likes you, but the v2.0 upgrade shows a list of possible people who might end up loving you. Gul Mi and other famous people like Sun Oh were able to garner many hearts for this reason.  Also, this is really important; just because your love alarm rings does not conclude it's love. That's why when Sun Oh and his mom were talking about his parents' loveless marriage, Sun Oh's mom said her love alarm still rings but his dad's doesn't anymore yet he's the one cheating. It makes me feel like the love alarm doesn't actually represent any form of true love.

2. When did Jojo start liking Hye-Yeong?

From the ending scene with the tape playing, I'd have to say since the beginning of S2 where she went to hug him from behind. The scene where she backed off from him at the curtain in episode 1 of S2 was there to make the viewers confused and it was shown to amplify how she was truly confused about love. It was not done well, but that was my understanding.

3. When did Jojo start loving Hye-Yeong?

Jojo probably only loved Hye-Yeong after Sun Ho kissed her, since Duk Gu did mention that as soon as her name disappeared from Hye-Yeong's list, she loved him.

4. Why does Jojo look so hesitant and not in love with Hye-Yeong?

She was first and foremost unsure of her own feelings because she depended on the app so much that she couldn't even understand her own feelings.  Imagine a world where we rely on technology to answer our own feelings; we wouldn't trust ourselves anymore. Also not all love is like insane passion with puppy glitter eyes. True love is about having the same values, goals, being able to understand and support each other.

5. Did Jojo ever love Sun Oh?

SCENARIO 1: Jojo and Sun Oh's relationship from S1 was more intense and passionate because they actually got together really fast without knowing much about each other.  Everything happened in a whirlwind. They went for the kiss before getting to know one another. Personally when things happen really fast it could be anything. It could be love or lust or the desire to be loved. We will never know. However, I think from the message of what this whole show is about, they both were in this intense like or love, but that's not real grownup love. Real love takes time and patience (which is the exact opposite of all these Kdramas). Also, we cannot sustain ourselves just base on love. Maybe if Jojo did not use the shield on Sun Oh they could have blossomed into true unconditional love. Yes, it's bittersweet, but that's part of life.

SCENARIO 2: Jojo and Sun Oh did fall in love at first sight and loved each other passionately, but her trauma caught up to her, so she backed off as soon as she saw Sun Oh hurt. It reminded her of how she was the sole survivor during her family's suicide, and she became numb to go through the same ordeal with Sun Oh. She backed off from Sun Oh to save him in her mind, and sometimes when you love someone a lot, you let them go if you think it's better for them. Also take note that she was at her weakest at this point, and she just wanted to run away from her inner problems.

6. Why does Hye-Yeong force his love on Jojo?

Hye-Yeong was always patient with her and never forced his feelings on her. He mentioned it a couple of times in S1 and even confessed to her, and she did not oppose against the idea of dating him. She only said that she couldn't love anyone else, yet little did she know what love was even about. She let Hye-Yeong in willingly. I'm sorry, but forcing love would be like Sun Ho kissing Jojo in S2 when she has a boyfriend already and is not in love with him. Nowhere in this entire second season did it imply that she still had feelings for Sun Oh if we actually replay it. She still reminisces about their bittersweet times together when she sees him, hence, she flinches or feels uncomfortable several times. She is living in the present, whereas he is still living in the past.

7. Why did Jojo break up with Sun Oh?

I feel like the part that gave her the final pull in breaking up with Sun Oh in  S1 was when she overheard his mom and dad talking about sending Sun Oh back abroad if he messes up again. She thought he had too much of a package for her and him to carry together. She thought she was doing them both a service in ending things. They are too different and he came into her life at a time that was not her strongest. She was still weak, and she hurt him in the process of growing up.  Humans make mistakes, especiallyteenagers. I am not defending her, but that's just life.  It's bittersweet that they met at the wrong time in their lives, and this route that they took make us reflect on choices and life which is sublime.

8. Why didn't Jojo tell Hye-Yeong about the shield and spear?

Jojo was still unsure of her feelings then, even though we know what she's feeling already at this point. She knew that she didn't want to disappoint Hye-Yeong. She was scared that perhaps if the shield was gone maybe she didn't like him and that she's hurting him. Little did she know that by feeling this way she already fell for him.

9. Why did Jojo keep going back and forth between Sun Oh and Hye-Yeong?

She never went back to Sun Oh since the last time she broke up with him. We never saw her attempting to make contact with Sun Oh until the end where she needed to make things right and give him somewhat of a closure. The entire S2 was about her being confused about her feelings towards Hye-Yeong. By confused, I mean unsure due to the app. Sun Oh was pinning after her here and there in S2, but never did she reciprocate. We can see that she's trying to move forward with her future, whereas Sun Oh was stuck in the past. There were so many times in S2 that she told Sun Oh that she always thought about Hye-Yeong before herself. The scene where Sun Oh visited her in the classroom, and had all the spotlight on them. In these times, she would normally feel embarrass for herself, but who did she think of first? Hye-Yeong. She was scared that it was going to hurt him if he saw the video. Jojo even told Sun Oh that if given the choice, she would repeat this all over again and regret once more; proving that what she did was not a mistake.

10. Why did they make Sun Oh the villain?

I don't know why people would refer to him as being turned into a villain out of nowhere in S2. He has been the same since S1. Very impulsive and go-getter type. It's just that this time around, Jojo says no to him.

11. Why is Jojo so immature?

Jojo had past traumas from her parents' suicides that carried over to her present time. In her mind, she thinks it's partially her fault for not being able to save her parents or that they did that because of her being alive. She is truly conflicted and feels alone no matter what. During her teen years, for the first time ever, she did not feel lonely with Sun-Oh, but she immediately felt the past traumas creeping back when she saw the possible conflicts they would encounter. First being their different family background and Sun Oh parents' remark on sending him back abroad. So she went away, but by the end of S2 we see that she is no longer the same immature girl. She finally accepted who she was, learned what it was to go head-on with loneliness, and understood what it is to love and be loved. That is something truly magical in a Kdrama.

12. Who was the male lead?

I don't think Hye-Yeong was the male lead of this drama even though he ended up with Jojo. Sun-Oh has more of a character arc and we see him go through more struggles and growth. Hye-Yeong is like an extension of Jojo. Though, strictly speaking, all 3 of them are lead characters. I don't know why dramalist decided to switch up Hye-Yeong and Sun Oh's order in the cast list. It just kind of defeats the purpose of those who do end up watching the drama later on. NO SPOILERS PLEASE.

13. Final verdict: who should Jojo have ended up with?

The whole message of this show was not about who she was going to end up with, but more of what the love alarm can do to a person and how it can affect their love life. When she was young and with Sun Oh they relied on the love alarm and moved really fast. Hye-Yeong was a more mature story. She did not force herself to love him, but fell for him without depending on the app; something that she only realized at the end. Also, Jojo was never able to make many of her own decisions when she was with Sun Oh. He went in for the first kiss without her consent twice in S1 and S2 and those were paralleled so well. Hye-Yeoung allowed her grow into a more confident woman because he always allowed her to make her own decisions. In the end, it showed that love is not confirmed through the app because that's simply not a fact and apps cannot read human emotions. Jojo even admitted to Sun Oh that she would do this all over again and regret once again if she could because she learned so much from it.

I also wanted to add that Jojo seeked a grounded and stable love/relationship, not some drama like we are used to watching. Suh Oh would be problematic for her knowing the background and pressure of his family. Heck he's an actor. She would also garner a lot of attention from other people, which we can tell she despises. She just wants to be loved by one person. Hye-Yeong on the other hand matches Jojo so much better because they both understand each others' loneliness and seek a stable relationship. I am not saying Sun Oh's relationship with her was bad, but it was bad timing and they don't share the same values. If she actually went with Sun Oh then it would have defeated the purpose of this drama. It's like yes, go find people through this app and not through the old fashion way.  Honestly, this drama really had the guts to take this path and I hope more Korean dramas in the future deliver their stories without trying to appease to all fans who want Lalaland. Justice for delivering a story without influences.

 If you guys have any other questions or up for discussions, I'd love to talk about them so leave them below :)!

@Starlitelet 

Nicely explained with Q & A. Commenting on the comment section is just tiring sometime cos I have to keep on repeating same point. Now, they should just look up yours and move on or ask more questions or add things that you might be missing. Thank you for doing this.

I think JJ brought tape (JJ's love alarm log) to HY to make him happy while pretending to be anxious at the end. Later, she got embarrassed and changed the subject to go for lunch.

@Starlitelet 

Thirty But Seventeen (2018)

This one is great (9/10 for me). It may seem kind of bizarre at first but the ending is one of the best I have seen from k-drama. This drama is kind of different from common plot line too I think. If it is not your taste, you can skip things that you don't like but make sure to watch the ending. It is the highlight.

 Haru:

Yes, Sunoh's family issues, him being an actor/ model...

Since Season 1 I'm already #TeamHyeyeong

I waited for the season 2, I didn't watch season 1 lol

What about Sunoh and Yookjo?
Their relationship?
Whenever was Sunoh was having a hard time he would go to Yookjo's place and hug her?  Their last scene?

@Haru Sun-Ho's relationship with Yok-jo could have been better played out, but from my understanding he finally realized who was there for him all along. We have seen several scenes where he does enjoy being with her, and tries to make her happy. He even got jealous when he thought that she was moving on with someone else. I don't think Sun-Ho is the type of character who would accept anyone to be his girlfriend. He already has a lot of girls after him, so why choose her?

I wouldn't say that he was settling for her like many people are saying, since if he was actually settling, he wouldn't have come to her door everyday at the end. Also, I don't get why people are saying Yok-Jo is a leech. She's like the female version of Hye-Yeong. She has a lot of integrity for not accepting him right away when he came back at the end. She made sure he kept coming. She also she gave him a lot of chances to get back with Jojo and was never menacing unlike some other supporting female characters in generic Kdramas. 

I used to make a lot of quotes when I was younger, and the quote I made back then reminds me of Su-Ho and Yok-jo's situation. 

"I have experienced that at some point you stop searching for what you're looking for, only to realize that it's been ignored while you were too busy trying to explore."

Sometimes we are too busy chasing a fantasy that we don't realize that the person we are looking for could be right beside us all along. Thankfully, for Sun-Oh he was not too late.

The entire ending came in full circle with one of the show's recurring theme.  It shows that love comes in many forms and the one that last requires patience, selflessness, and full support; but most importantly timing. That if one truly loves someone earnestly, they can be their endgame. It's not about who gets there first. Love requires a lot of work to be earned, and does not come easy.

@AnnaPudding 

Do you know any dramas where the second lead got a real chance with the girl haha? I can't believe it's been more than a week since I watched Love Alarm and I'm still thinking about it!

I will check out the Japanese drama called "Dear Sister"!! It's been a while that I haven't watched a Japanese love story drama. The last one I watched was Alice in Borderland, but that wasn't a romance hahaha.

I have watched  "Something in the Rain" and I really enjoyed the OTP chemistry and relationship, but it got annoying towards the end. I hate it when they just create obstacles for no reason. That was actually one of the dramas that got me back into Kdramas. 

"My Holo Love" sounds interesting, but I don't really like the main actors from what I'm seeing. I know I'm so picky haha.

"5cm/s" is actually an anime. I highly recommend it because it gave me such feels. It's from Makoto Shinkai who also made the well-known anime movie "Your Name'. Those two are splendid slice of life stories. Really suggest you checking them out if you haven't!

I am currently watching "18 Again", and I'm on episode 8. The last two episodes were kind of boring, so I don't know if this drama will pick up its pace or like stop preaching so much. I remember why I usually stay away from Kdramas. It's because they usually shove down obvious life lessons down my throat. I would rather enjoy the drama for what it is. Other than that, it was quite funny at the beginning. I'm still going to continue though. If you're interested, I'll message you how I thought about it after I'm done!

Thanks for the other recommendation too!

This is the first time I am just agreeing to everything in this discussion. It's just so on point and I really love the fact that this drama did not get influenced by its target viewers and stayed true to its story and message.

@Starlitelit 

Great points about the drama.   You’re spot on.    I’m also glad I was the only one to enjoy it  

I do have a question.  Sun Oh’s mother mentioned to him that Jojo had come to see her after the accident.  I don’t remember seeing that interaction or any replay/memory of it.   Did I miss it or was it never explained?