Kathryn_51

I think SML (Jae Kyung) is trying to stop history from repeating itself. But then, I'm a fan of Ha Joon (he is the reason I put this drama on my watchlist long ago), so I'm biased. 😊😊

I said it last week - I feel like they are pulling another "My Lovely Liar" with a closeted gay guy who loves the ML and has befriended Shin-yu's mother. But I don't think he is the stalker.

I thought this episode made it clear that the gardener is the stalker and he's the one who created the straw doll.

I don't like past life stories (and will grit my teeth through this one), but the cinematography and transition from young boy to "coming of age" were beautifully done.

Red Hand "attacked" him when he turned away from Na-yeon (the u-turn). in early episodes when he told Red Hand that soap smelled better than blood, Red Hand disappeared and he was wracked with terrible pain. Red Hand strokes the left side of his head - the location of his "vascular disease".

It disappeared after Hong-jo performed the spell.

I guess the question is (and we will find out eventually), is Red Hand good magic or black magic? He DID kill her after all in the past life.

Small things to ponder:

1. When Shin-yu was driving to meet Na Yeon ("if you don't come, I will die"), when Hong Jo began her first spell, Shin-yu did a major U-TURN (away from Na Yeon). Then Red Hand showed up and appeared to be trying to stop him from his new direction. Maybe there is more to those scenes that we haven't seen (which would be a big cheat by the writers), but Red Hand seems to be anti-Hong-jo (and perhaps pro Na-yeon).

2. When Shin-yu and and Na-yeon were at the Hanbok Park, SY saw a vision of Hong-jo in Joseon apparel and she was leading him AWAY from Na-yeon.

We still don't know if Hong-jo is descendant of Red Hand/Aeng-cho or not, do we?

LOL, he "rejected" her twice and then: (i) invited her to a one-person house-warming; takes her up to the rooftop for a heartwarming alone-time; drives her when they are going in the same direction and invites her to go with him to the lost dog place. That's not a "problem" in my book.

Meanwhile, ML keeps insulting her, order her around, touches her w/out consent, etc. etc.

Yeah, I know ML and FL are the OTT and I really do like them together because I'm always a sucker for enemies to friends/comrades to lovers, but Jae Kyung? Very sweet, thus far. My theory is that he secretly cares for and is trying to protect Yoon Na Yeon but much more to unfold.

I can't think of any of my favorite rom-coms where the 2ML turned out to be the evil villain.

Second Female Lead. In this drama, the SFL is the character Yoon Na Yeon.

Maybe he is under HER [SFL} spell?? In fact, that would be a rather ideal twist IMO.

I agree that an excellent actor can make a mediocre role amazing - which is what Ji-hoon did with Kang Min's character. For me, this was a medicore drama (or, perhaps I should say that with a limited amount of time to watch kdramas, this one wasn't enough to bring me back every week). When it is complete, I will watch 2X speed except for Kang Min scenes.

The MDL page for "King of Saju" is badly out of date. There are several other cast members - I submitted to MDL months ago but they never posted them. I think it's time I simply put them all in the comment section because folks are looking up Ji-hoon's upcoming projects.

Hwang Min got the role because (i) he's a musician and (ii) he has millions of followers on Instagram. I liked him in AoS and this drama was a good fit for his "talent". Other idols have made the leap, we'll see if can do it as well.

Meanwhile, I'm glad Seo Ji Hoon wasn't the lead because it is a mediocre role and he deserves better. Keep an eye out for "King of Saju" - he is the lead, they recently completed filming and it should show up sometime in 2024.

He's the male lead in "King of Saju" which recently completed filming. The MDL link is very outdated, but the final project completed filming sometime this summer. I think they're looking for an OTT platform and I hope it's not one of the obscure ones.

A few days ago, I also did a search on the "Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty" for the King Hyo Jong era [1649 to 1659], using the characters 앵 초 (primrose). Lots of references but I believe they are related to the actual flower (common translation is "Japanese Primrose [a noun]). i'm fairly certain that Aeng-cho is a fictional character as is Lady Yoon.

King Hyo Jong is a real person - the 17th King of the Joseon Dynasty.

During my internet wanderings I also read that although certain real Joseon persons may be mentioned or referred to in a drama, most "characters" in a kdrama are fictional so as to not cause offense to current descendants. Of course, dramas that are specifically focused on actual history (and the history of Joseon era Kings is incredibly well-documented) are the exception and are nominally accurate . I wouldn't know because I avoid sageuks based on real history - too violent/bloody and oerwhelmingly sad.

Lady Yoon was also mentioned in the small snippet on the internet that SY read. But I never put 2+2 together (Yoon + Yoon)! Very good detective work.

After SY looked up Aeng-cho/Primrose on Naver, apparently there was increased traffic on the website for the "Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty" looking up "Aeng-cho" and "Eng-cho". 😊

Which mother??? They all seem pretty bad. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Before he went to jail, Tae Ho's first cousin (not brother) trained with Hyo Shim - so they already have a bond/connection.

Great start.

Most important (to me): Enemies to frenemies to friends to. . . ? Crossing fingers it will be that kind of slow-burn romance.

All of the main characters were introduced with enough information that for the most part, viewer quickly understood who was related to whom.

One clear villain and she is one nasty piece of work - I don't foresee a redemption arc in her future.

Lots of not-so-nice/selfish characters.

Good mix of elders, 30-something adults, students and children.

For Kocowa viewers in the Americas, release of KBS weekenders seems to be 10:00 am (PDT).

No scenes together yet, but I think they have a history since he has worked for her father for years. He knew she was dating SY; he knew that SY might be willing to take a job working for the city even if it didn't pay well.

I wouldn't be surprised if he learned about SY's illness first from Na Yeon. He never told SY who he heard it from - he merely admitted that Hong Jo had told him.

Jae Kyung knows Na Yeon because he has worked for her father for many years.

I'm beginning to believe that he cares about her or at least feels protective towards her - and that he is jealous of SY. He made a comment about SY "has everything."

On the other hand, he clearly worked to get SY to City Hall even though he didn't know him personally - he probably knew about him through Na Yeon.

It was Destiny that brought Hong-jo and SY to City Hall at the same time - JK was part of that.

My impression is that Dad wants him to marry young (as he did) in order to delay/stall the effects of the curse.